Carol Elaine Etem

Carol Elaine (Babcock) Etem joined her parents in heaven on May 28, 2024. Carol was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 20, 1948, and lived her entire life in the Waldo area. She grew up attending Community Christian Church and Southwest High School where she sang in the choirs. While living on the Plaza in 1976, Carol met the love of her life, Chuck Etem, during a snowstorm. The rest is a love story spanning 48 years.

Carol was a rock for each of her three children, Emily, Jill, and Mark. She shared a quiet, calm strength that will stay with us forever, as well as her sense of humor and easy laugh.

Carol‘s legacy will be as a caregiver to her family, friends, neighbors, and church community at Christ the King Catholic Church. She loved loving others.

Carol enjoyed quilting, painting, listening to music, gardening, trying new recipes, and cheering on the Royals, Chiefs, Sporting KC, and Kansas Jayhawks. But she was the biggest fan of her grandchildren who were an enormous source of pride.

Carol attended Kansas City Business College. She was a talented administrator and used her talents working at Putsch’s cafeteria, Jerry’s Sports Shop, and supporting Chuck’s real estate business.

Carol treasured her travel adventures, including trips to visit family in western Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, and Iowa. Carol and Chuck visited Rome where they were blessed to see the Pope and made lifelong friends from Bidingen, Germany. In 2022, Carol and Chuck enjoyed a long-planned trip to Yellowstone, the Tetons, and Jackson, Wyoming.

While Carol has left this life, she will live forever in our hearts. Carol was a 20 year survivor of breast cancer until it returned in 2020. With Chuck by her side, Carol gracefully navigated treatment and care plans with the support of many talented healthcare professionals.

Carol is preceded in death by her parents Eileen and Lee Babcock, in-laws Marialice and Charles A. Etem Jr., and many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by her husband Charles A. Etem III, daughter Jill Dinges (Aaron), daughter Emily Brady (Jason), son Mark Etem (Malinda), grandson Abraham, grandson Liam, granddaughter Rory, grandson George, grandson Henry, best friend Jonne Rose, brother-in-law Jim Etem, sister-in-law Julie Royse, sister-in-law Kathy Lyon (Bill), brother-in-law Richard Etem (Barbara), brother-in-law Mike Etem (Sue) and sister-in-law Mary Hayes (Gary), and many nieces and nephews. Rocky the Shih Tzu was Carol’s constant companion and continues to bring joy to everyone he meets.

A visitation will be held at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 2 E 75th St., Kansas City, MO 64114 on Friday, June 7, at 10 AM. A funeral mass and luncheon will immediately follow at 11 AM and then a graveside burial service at Floral Hills Cemetery, 7000 Blue Ridge Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64133. All friends and family are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, Carol asked for memorial contributions be made in her honor to Kansas City Hospice, https://www.kchospice.org/donate/ and the St. Luke’s Hospital Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer, https://www.saintlukeskc.org/locations/saint-lukes-hospital-koontz-center-advanced-breast-cancer