Carol Jean Rolander

Carol was fierce, loving, and proud. She grew up in Harvey, Illinois and attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. It was there that she met her husband, and they settled their family in Crystal Lake, then Woodstock, IL. In her later years, she moved to Colorado, where she took great joy in her grandchildren, Aubrey, Adam, and Bode. She was an accomplished watercolorist and a warm, tender, and caring volunteer at Boulder Community Hospital (now Boulder Community Health), where she took photos of newborns for their parents.

Carol remained upbeat and unwavering until the very end. Her family does not wish to elide the struggles of her later years but to recognize them alongside her deep capacity to love and her steady, positive outlook, which she maintained throughout.

Carol was a staunch, ardent, and loyal friend. She was also a complicated person with hurt and love that her surviving family can never hope to fully comprehend. Among her most closely held values was that of presenting a beautiful face, and it is her (and ours, the family’s) wish that anyone who knew her think of her as perfectly coiffed. If you were lucky enough to have known her, you likely picture her impeccably dressed with flawless jewelry and makeup. Whether laying in the sun, watching a well-loved movie, or presenting the conquests of a trip to the mall, Carol was always ready with a witty remark.

Carol was a wonderfully loved (and ever mysterious) mother, wife, grandmother, aunt, and friend. Those who knew her hold her perpetually in her complexity, intelligence, and grace.

In lieu of flowers, send something extravagant to an unsuspecting recipient. Cashmere and jewelry were always her favorites.

She is preceded in death by her father, William, her mother Stephanie, and sisters Esther (Bob), Dorothy (Les), and Lorraine (Charlie) and survived by her sister Ilene, ex-husband Ted Rolander, and children Mark (Jodi), Jennifer (John), and Scott.