Carolyn Jean Rodriguez

In the midst of the fiercest storms, especially those that swept through West Michigan in the days following her passing on July 13th, 2024, Carolyn Rodriguez remains vivid in memory. For those who knew Granny well, her presence was akin to thunder, resonating since August 16th, 1953. Mostly loud and booming, even her grumpier moments carried a low rumble across time and space.

Granny was undeniably the sassiest woman many had encountered, yet those who knew her kindness and love recognized her as one of the most giving souls, even if her ways were rarely conventional.

Her arrival and departure stirred change in the atmosphere, each observer experiencing it uniquely. To her family and friends, she brought boundless enrichment, carrying with her the essence of life itself not unlike the heavy rains of the storm.

Like lightning, she appeared swiftly and reliably at every cleaning and caretaking job she accepted, always there for others, leaving a lasting impact like a shock of love through her community.

Now, Carolyn Rodriguez continues her journey, sending her love from beyond, reunited with her late husband Phillip Rodriguez, daughter Missy, and sister Rita.

Don’t wait for the storms to pass to honor her impact, remember her in the daily rhythms of life—moments spent doing dishes, folding laundry, sharing sweet treats, doing cute crafts or finding treasures in thrifty places. These were the simple joys she filled her life with and loved almost as much as her daughter Sally, granddaughters Jessica, Nikki, Emily, and great-grandsons Phillip, Tristyn, and Eric, along with other cherished family and friends.

As Nanny would say, “later, alligator.”

Remember that we will see her “in awhile, crocodile.”