Caroline A Rizo

Caroline Ann Antuna was born on May 14, 1945, in Kersey, Colorado. She was the daughter of Connie Soria and Gavino Antuna. Carol was raised in Greeley, surrounded by her family, who were sugar beet field workers. As a young girl, devoted to her faith, she walked from her home to Sunday Mass through a blizzard, guided by St. Bernadette. This is the root of her lifelong struggle with asthma. Her beloved grandmother encouraged Carol to read and write, empowering her to choose her own path. Carol’s love for poetry and literature played an enormous role in her life, and it would be one of the many loves she passed down to her children.

While pursuing her higher education at Loretto Heights, an all-girls college the stars aligned. She went to a social dance to meet other Latin American students, probably thinking it wouldn’t be life-changing. The universe had other plans. Like many great love stories, a crowded room suddenly felt silent and empty once she locked eyes with a dashing young man on the other side of the dance floor. In May 1965, just after turning 20, Carol met Jaime Alonso Rizo Perez. They courted for three months before marrying at Our Lady of Lourdes on August 7, 1965.

There’s not enough time or paper to encapsulate Carol’s accomplishments, but over the course of three years, she achieved some of her greatest. She gave birth to her first daughter, Deborah Maria. She graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree from CU Boulder. Jaime, Carol, and Deborah moved to Colombia, where Carol taught English at La Universidad Nacional en Bogota, Colombia. A year and a half later, they returned to Colorado, bought their first home on Bannock Street, and welcomed Magally Ann and Ingrid Angelica into the world.

Never backing down from an adventure, the Rizo family relocated to Singapore in the summer of 1979. The expectation for engineer wives was to have tea and play mahjong, but that wasn’t for Carol. Her heart motivated her to learn Mandarin, explore the culture, and volunteer at a Vietnamese refugee camp. There, she taught the children English, preparing them for their adoptions in the United States.

The family returned to Denver, and Carol continued pursuing her passion for education and refugee safety. She fought for their inclusion in the education system and taught them the value of their culture while learning to assimilate into the United States. She willingly and lovingly housed them to ensure their safety, proving once again Carol’s selfless and giving heart. In 1982, because of Carol’s loving spirit for the children of the world, she and Jaime sponsored a new daughter from Ethiopia, Tizalu. Tizalu lived with the Rizos for two years before moving to Arizona to further her education.

Over many years, Carol and Jaime’s home became a sanctuary for Jaime’s brothers and their families as they immigrated from Colombia. Kelly Juliette (1974) became another precious gem in Carol’s treasure trove. Carol had a special way of making everyone feel like family.

Around this time, Carol became a grandmother. Alexis Ann was born in August 1983. Carol deeply loved and cared for Alexis. Meanwhile, she earned her Master’s Degree in ESL from UCD, becoming the first in her family to attend college and paving the way for her family to pursue higher education as well.

As the older daughters left the nest, the universe shifted once more. Carol thought she was going through menopause or had cancer, but it turned out to be something entirely different. Another baby girl, a playmate for Alexis. Lyat Isabelle was born in October 1987.

As time went on, Carol’s teaching career flourished in Denver Public Schools. Her love for travel and culture inspired her to start the Indema Travel Agency with Jaime and Magally. Jaime, Carol, and their friends, advocated for international harmony by establishing La Fraternidad Hispana, an annual event celebrating food, dance, and music from the Americas. Despite her many wonderful achievements, her greatest joy was still to come: more grandchildren. Enter the family scene — Bambini, our first angel, arrived in May 1994; Xilal Yubril (1996); Gabriela Deborah (1997); Kinari Mayid (1998); Eumalina Anna (1998); Dante Christian (1999); Isabela Angelica (2002); grand nephew Gabriel Antonio (2010); and finally, our newest addition, her great-grandchild, Roman Eli (2026).

On October 12, 2014, Carol’s devotion to God culminated in seven years of preparation for her definitive promise as a member of the secular Carmelites. It is next to impossible to summarize such a life well-lived, but in the words of her favorite Saint, Bernadette, “I shall spend every moment loving. One who loves does not notice her trials; or perhaps more accurately, she is able to love them. I shall do everything for Heaven, my true home. There I shall find my Mother in all the splendour of her glory. I shall delight with her in the joy of Jesus himself in perfect safety.”