Carol J Kerstiens

Carol Jean Kerstiens (Carlson) was an amazing woman, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She passed away surrounded by her family at St Anthony Hospital on December 16, 2021 at the age of 86.

Carol was born to the late Rude and Ruth Carlson on January 4, 1935 in Waverly, Minnesota. She was the youngest of 3 children (Dale and Janet-both deceased). They left potato farming and moved to Denver when she was 13. Carol graduated valedictorian from Alameda High School, class of 1953. It was there at a basketball game she spotted a handsome young man and announced , “I will marry him!”. It worked!

Arnold (Toots) Kerstiens, age 87, married Carol in May 1955, celebrating their 66th anniversary this year. They have four children: Laurie (Ron Hepburn), Carrie (Brian Bailey-deceased), Waco (Sheryl) and Darcy (Lance Redditt). They are blessed with eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

They moved to their present home in Indian Hills in 1961. Carol was a stay-at-home mom, room mother, taxi and coach. She never missed a game or gymnastic meet and spent hundreds of hours cheering from the stands at rodeos and polo games. She took on multiple side jobs through the years: ironing, daycare, and even a few holiday seasons at Peterson’s Turkey Farm, “cutting out turkey buttholes” on the assembly line. In later years she worked as a bookkeeper alongside Arnold at his welding shop.

Carol loved to sew. She made matching cowboy shirts for the Stock Show every year, her kid’s clothes, and even Laurie’s wedding dress! Later she made matching outfits for her grand-daughters, and endless clothes for their Barbie and Cabbage Patch dolls. Carol was an avid reader, loved solving puzzles, music (especially Patsy Cline), dancing the polka, traveling (anywhere but Mexico), camping, fishing, and gambling at their weekly poker nights and Central City. She made the BEST elk jerky ever and her oatmeal cookies were a close second! She ate her share of butter pecan ice cream and always had a tootsie roll in her pocket.

Family traditions were very important to Carol. Some of her favorites were giving her girls “tree presents” at Christmas, apples and whipped cream in her grandma’s pink glass bowl at Thanksgiving, and angel necklaces from Evergreen hospice. She never missed sending thank you and birthday cards. Carol truly loved everyone, making you feel special, but always with a little mischievous streak and a twinkle in her eye. She loved to laugh and gave great hugs, leaving a lipstick kiss on your cheek.

Please join us in honoring the life of Carol Jean Kerstiens. Her rosary will begin at 11:00 a.m. and funeral mass at 11:30 a.m on December 30, 2021 at Christ the King Church in Evergreen, Colorado, officiated by Father Jim Fox. After the mass, Carol will be laid to rest at Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge (29th Ave & Wadsworth Blvd), burial ceremony at approximately 2:00 p.m. The reception will immediately follow the ceremony.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.CrownHillFuneral.com for the Kerstiens family.