Carol Joyce Frakes, 87, of Pagosa Springs, Colo., passed away following a long illness on Wednesday, June 30, at her home in the San Juan River Village in the loving care of family.
Born in Milwaukee, Wis., on Dec. 8, 1933, during the depths of the Great Depression, Carol Joyce was the third of four children, Karl, Caroline, Carol and John. Her parents, John and Leona (Schultz) Weil, were of German descent.
Carol attended school on Milwaukee’s south side and attended South Division High School. In her freshman year, she met a boy from nearby Boy’s Tech, who was to become her husband and life partner, John Floyd Frakes. In 1952, they were married and had three children, John Clifford, Barbara Ann and Timothy Patrick. Carol was an active homemaker, shepherding her children through the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. In 1969, the family was transferred from the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield to Denver, Colo.
In 1975, Carol and her husband, John, launched an equipment and sports rental business in Broomfield, Colo. Carol managed the business seven days a week, running the front counter, renting equipment to customers and managing the books. It was also during this period that Carol renewed her faith, becoming an active church member. She also found time to develop her golf game and became a proficient skier, until a patch of ice led to a broken shoulder and the end of her downhill career.
In 1976, John was transferred to Oak Brook, Ill. Carol worked as a secretary for a life insurance company and her local church. Following John’s retirement in 1982, they returned to Colorado and purchased a home in Pagosa Springs, in the San Juan River Village.
In the following decades, Carol’s quiver of grandchildren grew to include Shane, Will, Katrina, Brett, Brady, Emily, Connor and Jack. She helped John run several small property management businesses and even served as the president of the community property owners association. She remained an active church member as a founding member of the Pagosa Springs Bible Church, where she helped organize the fledgling congregation and served as a women’s Bible study leader.
An active golfer, she carded a hole-in-one at Hillcrest Golf Club in Durango, Colo., becoming the only member of her family to do so. She also served as host for a stream of visitors who often joined local residents for “breakfasts on the mountain” in the nearby San Juan National Forest.
Carol was an active hospice volunteer during her time in Pagosa Springs, serving the community for many years. In her final three months, hospice returned the kindness, providing expert and loving care until her passing.
Carol was a devoted spouse, loving mother, sister, parent, a grandparent of eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She was a faithful friend, devout church member, golfer, skier, secretary, manager and entrepreneur. An avid quilter, Carol was awarded a blue ribbon for one of her works and created custom quilts for each of her grandchildren. Although she couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, she was a fan of the opera, favoring Giuseppe Verdi’s “La traviata” and Giacomo Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.”
She once wrote, “All in all, God has been so good to me. He has blessed me with all the things that are truly important, love, family and health.”
Details for a memorial service are being planned for the fall of 2021 and will be announced in the near future.
