Carol Theresa Marsh

Carol Marsh’s life…  by Doug Marsh

Carol Marsh (nee Fangman) was born in Tilden, Nebraska, on Monday, June 20, 1947. Her parents, John and Ann Fangman, were farmers in Raeville, Nebraska. She attended grade school in Raeville and high school at Assumption Academy in Norfolk, Nebraska. Assumption Academy hosted dances for the girls, and that's where she met me, Doug Marsh. I always teased Carol that I fell in love with her dancing feet. Carol had a younger sister, Barb, who loved to spy on us after our dates. We dated for a while and really began our relationship after she invited me to Assumption Academy's Christmas celebration with her parents in 1965.

We separated for a while when I went to Kearney State College. She attended Nettleton Business School in Lincoln and also worked at the University of Nebraska. After two years apart, I realized I wanted to be with her in Lincoln and decided to change colleges. Shortly after I moved to Lincoln, I received my draft notice for three years in the Army. After returning from Vietnam, Carol and I were married in Norfolk on October 4, 1969. When I came back from Vietnam, I weighed 140 pounds, but thanks to Carol's great cooking, two months later, I weighed 180 pounds. I still had one year left in my Army commitment, so we moved to Fort Rucker, Alabama, after our wedding. The weekends in Alabama were really fun for us. We would often visit Panama City, Florida, and the beautiful beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.

After my Army contract was up in 1970, we moved back to Nebraska. I returned to attend Kearney State College and worked at a grocery store, while Carol worked as a secretary at Kearney State College. In 1972, we were blessed with a son, Brian. A job offer at Northwestern Bell in 1974 led us to another move, this time to Grand Island, Nebraska. While living in Grand Island, we were blessed with a daughter, Amy, born in 1976. A job promotion then led us to move to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1978, where Carol enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom, always generous with her time for many school activities. After both kids reached middle school, Carol began working as an accountant at Sherwin Williams paint store and enjoyed her time there for over 40 years.

Carol was involved with St. Gerald Catholic Church where she served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and Sacristan. She was also involved with the parish knitting group. In her spare time, Carol had fun playing cards and Bunco, painting and bowling (she was a very skilled bowler). She also enjoyed watching game shows and was an accomplished crossword puzzle and Sudoku player. Carol was a fantastic cook, and I especially loved the peanut brittle she made. Her children looked forward to the Christmas cookies she baked every year.

She was very kind and cared so deeply for our two children and three grandchildren (Lillie, Brenden, and Sophie). Carol was very proud of her family and loved us all very much. She was a great hugger, kisser, and lover. I was truly blessed to have her as my lifelong friend. October 4th would have marked 54 years of marriage together. I miss her and the twinkle (I called it a twitter) in her beautiful brown eyes. I pray that someday we will be together again.

*Memorial donations are suggested to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (themmrf.org) in Carol's name.

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