Carol Fae Lewis
Carol Lewis, 84, passed on to eternal life with her Lord and Savior on Aug 27th, 2024. Carol was born in Blairsburg, Iowa. She was the eldest of six children. After High School (valedictorian, of course), Carol attended Moody Bible Institute at the age of 18. She studied music and Christian Education.
During a visit home from college, Carol’s aunt invited her over for dinner; there was a handsome farmer she wanted Carol to meet. On this blind date, Carol met Harlan. They were married on September 9th, 1960.
Harlan and Carol farmed row crops together in Iowa for 10 years. They moved to Marshfield Missouri in 1970, where Carol learned to be a rancher. She worked alongside Harlan as they started their new adventure. They raised beef cattle, eventually transitioning their herd to purebred Santa Gertrudis breeding stock. You’d see Carol with her large brimmed straw hat sitting on the tractor, cutting and raking the hay to be bailed. She chopped thistles, worked cattle in the corrals, and caught newborn calves to be measured and vaccinated.
Carol had a love for numbers. She was the accountant/bookkeeper for the Iowa and Missouri farm businesses until Harlan’s death in 2008, and continuing until her death 2024. She also worked at the Webster County courthouse for several years.
In her 50s, Carol attended Drury University in Springfield, MO. She graduated in 1999 with a BS in Art History and Studio Art. (Suma Cum Laude, with a 4.0 GPA, of course.)
Carol had many interests and hobbies. She loved working with children and youth at church. She loved to learn. Carol enjoyed reading, sewing, gardening, and cooking. She enjoyed trying new and unusual recipes (*). Carol enjoyed sculpting, and found a love for wood carving and wood burning later in life. She loved music. She sang, played the piano, taught piano, and attended the Springfield Symphony for years.
Carol loved the changing seasons. Every season you’d find her tramping through the woods photographing nature’s wonders. She developed her own photographs in her dark room at home, complete with enlargers and special effects equipment. As digital technology advanced, she transitioned to digital photography and learned to use Photo Shop.
Carol loved travel. She traveled all over the United States with Harlan, with her siblings, with her children, and her grandchildren (**). She spent weeks in Italy, living on the local economy and seeing the sights. She returned home with rolls and rolls of film documenting her adventure (***).
Carol loved the Lord. She taught Sunday School (for high school and later preschool) for many years. Carol loved her quiet time with the Lord. Most mornings you could find her on the porch, sipping hot tea as she prayed and studied devotional readings.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, September 3, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., in the chapel of Fraker Funeral Home, Marshfield MO. Interment at the Marshfield Cemetery will follow the funeral. Visitation will be before services Tuesday from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., in the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Mission Aviation Fellowship and may be left in the care of Fraker Funeral Home, Inc., P.O. Box 85, Marshfield, MO 65706.
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(*) Not always with the greatest success. It turns out that sweet potatoes do not belong in ice cream. And whole, baked soy beans do not enhance any dish, even if you really really think it will work this time.
(**) Carol and Harlan had two children: Tim (Debbie) Lewis and Anita Dockstader. Five grandchildren: Lisa (William) Kent, Dalton (Stephanie) Dockstader, Randy Dockstader, Evan (Pamela) Dockstader, and Kyle (Shahed) Lewis. Carol had 3.8 great grandchildren: Nox Dockstader, Ekko Dockstader, Summit Dockstader, and William Lewis (birth date TBD). Carol is survived by siblings Sherry (LeRoy) Peck, Kathi Paull, Ruth (Will) Cramer, Lee (Martha) Smith, and Elaine Robertson. Carol is preceded in death by her husband, Harlan, and her parents S. Everett Smith and Delores (Segar) Smith.
(***) With an odd focus on doors. All kinds of Italian doors. New Italian doors. Old Italian doors. Italian doors through the centuries. Doors with frames. Doors without frames. “Look at that door!” The dark room saved a fortune in film development costs.