Carol Ann Griffin

Carol was born to Melvin and Emily Hale in Decatur, Illinois on August 25, 1946. Carol graduated from Springfield High School in Springfield, Illinois in 1964 and received a BSN in Nursing from the University of Maryland at College Park through the Walter Reed Institute of Nursing program. As an Army Captain, she was stationed at the 71st Evacuation Hospital in Pleiku Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. She returned from overseas to Denver, Colorado to continue her nursing career, working in intensive care at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center.

Carol then began work as a renal dialysis nurse in the challenging new frontier of dialysis care. A nursing pioneer in this field, Carol helped innovate change for 35 years, working as an acute dialysis nurse, dialysis nurse manager, and advanced practice nurse for area nephrologists. She continued her career in neurology at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado until her retirement in 2012.

Carol loved spending time with her family, and enjoyed taking trips to the mountains, watching movies, dancing and reading.

Carol is preceded in death by her father, Melvin Hale, and her nephew, Michael Hale.

Carol is survived by her husband, Steven Hooper of Denver, Colorado; her mother, Emily Hale of Springfield, Illinois; her twin sister Carla Hale of Westminster, Colorado, brother Ron Hale and sister Janice Bryant of Springfield, Illinois; her five children, Robert Holler of Portland, Oregon, Sherry Brown of Loveland, Colorado, Matthew Griffin (Tamira) of Firestone, Colorado, Mary Sutton of Broomfield, Colorado, and Erica McIntosh of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. She is also survived by her grandchildren Hannah, Zoe, Christopher, Izabelle, Genevieve and Hartley.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, April 12th at 1:00 pm at Olinger Highland Mortuary & Cemetery at 10201 North Grant Street, Thornton, Colorado 80229, with interment Tues., April 15th at 2:30pm, Fort Logan National Cemetery, Staging Area B with full military honors, located at 4400 W. Kenyon Avenue, Denver, CO 80236. The family requests in lieu of flowers to donate in Carol’s name to the Transplant Unit Patient Needs Fund through the University of Colorado Hospital, which provides patient financial assistance and patient education.

Please make checks payable to University of Colorado Hospital and place “In Memory of Carol Griffin” in the memo line.

Mail to:

University of Colorado Hospital Foundation

12401 E. 17th Avenue, Mail Stop F485

Aurora, CO 80045

Arrangements under the direction of Olinger Highland Mortuary & Cemetery, Thornton, CO.