Carol Ann Ryerse
Carol Ann Petersen Ryerse passed away peacefully on the night of May 17, 2023, in Bountiful, Utah. Carol was born September 23, 1932, in Reno, Nevada to Viggo and Mary Petersen. She was the fourth of six children. Carol is preceded in death by her 3 older sisters, Nan, Shirley, and Verna, her younger brother Vance, and her daughter Tracy. She is survived by her husband Chuck (Bountiful, UT), her brother Frank and his wife Patty (Sparks, NV), and her children: Dan and his wife Sue (Bountiful, UT), Rick and his wife Nancy (Meridian, ID), her son-in-law Raymond (Whitehall, MT), her daughter Kelly (Nampa, ID), and Parry and his wife Shannon (Nampa, ID). Additionally, Carol has 26 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild who love and respect her tremendously.
Carol spent her childhood in Reno and was always happy to speak of her childhood friends and good times growing up. During her later teenage years after her sisters had moved away, she was able to develop a special bond with her younger brothers that continued throughout her life. After a very brief stint at the University of Nevada Reno, where she met the love of her life, Chuck, whom she married on the 6th of November, 1952, she put aside her academic pursuits and dedicated her life to her family.
Carol and her young family continued to live in Reno in a house designed by Carol herself. She helped make ends meet by dealing Black Jack at Harold’s Club for more than 10 years. Carol was always willing to sacrifice herself for the family’s well-being. In the mid 1970’s, Carol left her beloved Reno behind to establish the family in Idaho. A house was soon constructed (again designed by Carol) in Eagle, where she stayed for another 15 plus years. During this time Carol also worked at the local egg farm and as a rural postal carrier for the U.S. Post Office. Carol then designed and built yet another house in Emmett, where she was able to spend most of her retirement years.
Carol was a lifelong, faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She would serve and give willingly of her time and talents in whatever capacity she was asked. Her faith, loyalty, and dedication served her well as she was always true to who she was, no matter the circumstance in which she found herself.
Carol had a deep love and passion for literature, poetry, history, music, and word games (if you ever wanted to tap into her fierce competitive nature, just engage her in a nice “friendly” game of Scrabble). She spent endless hours researching her relatives and would become giddy when discovering a small clue about a long-lost relation. Carol taught expected behavior and morals effectively through the use of stories and song lyrics and it seems like she had an endless catalog of poems in her head to know exactly what to say in any given situation. She would hum songs often throughout her days and it can truly be said that she had a song in her heart for her entire life.
Carol’s happiest moments were her time spent with family. She loved to knit and sew, and many people would anxiously look forward to a pair of Christmas slippers or a nice warm quilt. Her smile and laughter filled the room when surrounded by the ones she loved and it was impossible for one to feel unloved while in her presence. Her caring and sacrifice were second to none and she was always willing to whip up a quick snack or a 4 course meal for those who requested it and everyone loved the Halloween popcorn balls and famous dill pickles. Carol reacted marvelously in times of crisis. Nothing was ever more important in life than when a family member needed her. She would drop whatever she was doing to rub mud on a bee sting or treat a scraped knee with mercurochrome (a substance now banned in the U.S, but somehow, we survived) followed by the appropriate amount of hugs and kisses and the patient would be magically healed. It is amazing that one person could share so much love, everyone felt like they were the most important person in the world when they were by Carol.
It is difficult to sum up a life of 90 plus years in just a few words, but everything Carol did, she did it with unconditional love. She greatly loved all those she met and never spoke ill of anyone. She will be greatly missed, but she will never be forgotten. We love you Carol.
Visitation for family and friends will be held from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at Bowman Funeral Parlor, 10254 W. Carlton Bay Dr. in Garden City. A graveside service will be held at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Dry Creek Cemetery, 9600 Hill Rd. in Boise.
To watch the committal service, please visit: https://vimeo.com/834142018?share=copy
Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.