Carolyn Knutsen

Carolyn Lee Knutsen, age 79, went to be with her Heavenly Father on March 10, 2018 in Dripping Springs, Texas. Carolyn fought a brave battle with cancer for over twenty years and touched many lives along the journey.

Everyone thought Carolyn was a classy lady who never wanted to face the world without looking polished. She always had her lipstick on, make-up done, nails painted and clothes to match. She never met a stranger and had an uncanny way of remembering people’s names. She got to know all those that cared for her and Richard, wherever they went and wherever they lived, they became her extended family.

Carolyn and her twin sister Charlotte, were born on February 8, 1939. They were raised by Army Chaplain A.L. Paxson and their mother, Leona Kuntsman Paxson. As their father was a Chaplain, they lived at Army bases all over the United States including New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. She spent her teenage years in post-war Japan and Germany. Carolyn attended Sendai American School in Japan, Stuttgart High School in Stuttgart, Germany, and the University of Maryland in Munich, Germany. She loved the English club and writing poetry. She also enjoyed singing and liked to snow ski.

She met Richard Carl Knutsen in 1960 and they married on June 17, 1962. They were married in St. Andrews Methodist Church in Palo Alto, California by her father, Chaplain A.L. Paxson.

She had one daughter, Cathy who married W. David Dougherty and two step sons, Steven and Dennis. She had five Grandchildren, Lisa, Christopher, Sara, Hudson and Abigail. She had seven Great-Grandchildren, Madison, Abigail, Wyatt, Layla, Holden, Fiona, and Thea.

Her best friend throughout her life was her twin sister, Charlotte. She had a very special friend from high school, Susan Spencer who she kept in touch with for over 70 years. Carolyn remained friends with her wedding party throughout her entire life. Her friend Jerri Rudnick introduced her and Richard to a “gang” of families, close friends, loving life since 1963. They shared their lives together for over 50 years including vacations, church, work, children and grandchildren. She considered the time spent with the “gang” to be some of the best, most memorable and sweetest times in her life. Although the “gang” all live in different areas, their bonds of friendship are forever and they will all be reunited with Carolyn in heaven!

Carolyn worked as a secretary at General Electric before she was married then spent the next 25 years working at Stanford University as a secretary for Statistics Professor, Dr. Solomon, Ph, D. In 1982 she started to work at a radio station, KNCO in Grass Valley, California. She loved working there and met just about everyone in the community including General Chuck Yeager.

After retiring she volunteered at Sierra Presbyterian church in Nevada City and loved working with the children for vacation bible school and helping in the women’s ministries.

Carolyn and Richard loved Monterey, California and watching golf on TV, even though they never played. She also loved to watch Texas Tech and Texas A&M college football games, because those were her grandchildren’s schools. She took great pride in Hudson and the Goin’ Band from Raiderland, occasionally seeing him in the stands on TV. Carolyn traveled extensively in Europe as a teen with her family and kept extensive scrap books of her time overseas.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her father Alexander Paxson, mother Leona Paxson, twin sister, Charlotte Burris. She is survived by her husband of fifty-six years, Richard Knutsen; daughter Catherine Dougherty; four half siblings, Anne Clark, Michael Paxson, Sandra Bitner and Robert Paxson.

Carolyn’s family would like to thank the staff, nurses, and aides of Ledgestone Assisted Living, Hospice Austin Christopher House, and Hill Country Care Skilled Nursing Facility, especially Jamie Wilson with Hospice Austin for all the love and care she provided my mom in her final days.

A Celebration of Carolyn’s Life will be held at Bethany Lutheran in Austin, Texas on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 11:00 am. She will be laid to rest at a future date in Nevada City, California. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Carolyn's name may be directed to Hospice Austin’s Christopher House at https://www.hospiceaustin.org/get-involved-2/donate/

For those of you that could not be a part of our services yesterday we have posted a video of the eulogies to share with you. My uncle Michael Paxson is first then David Dougherty starts at 2:00 and mine begins at 13:30.

Carolyn Knutsen Memorial Service 2018

These are the Eulogies from Michael Paxson, David Dougherty and Cathy Dougherty from Carolyn Lee…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjtGawqfXAo&feature=youtu.be