Carolyn was born in San Diego, CA, to Ivan and June Gillett. A navy brat, she lived in 12 different states. She attended 12 different schools from K-12, graduating from Highland High in Albuquerque, N.M. in 1955. Some of her early schools included up to 3 grades in a single classroom. This led to her completion of both 1st and 2nd grade in one year. As the oldest, Carolyn shared much of this journey with her siblings, Margy Scales, John Gillett, Kathie Esquibel-Baca, and Dan Gillett (proceeding in death on 10/12/18).
Having been a young child when World War II broke out, Carolyn had some unique experiences. For example, when living in Rhode Island, with all the curiosity of your typical 3-year-old, she was scolded for peeking out between the blackout curtains. Her mother explained that such a small mistake might garner the attention of the German U-boats who were just off the coastline. Though young, Carolyn was aware of the more personal impacts of war. For example, when her father was immediately deployed to Pearl Harbor after Japan's bombing. Yet, it also created an early love of a man in uniform, with Carolyn's first crush being on her Uncle Dale.
Carolyn had a brief marriage just after graduation. Sadly, her first child (Michael) passed shortly after being born. She then went on to have her 3 older girls, Judy Holt, Donna Erickson, and Sue McGinnis. During this time, she made the move from Albuquerque, N. M. to Phoenix, AZ, in 1957. She balanced motherhood with work as a bank teller and an administrative secretary.
When Carolyn worked at the Safeway Credit Union, she met her husband, to be 53 years, Bob McBane. He worked for the Safeway Print Shop. The story of how they connected is that Carolyn was riding a bike intended for Donna's birthday while in her work attire (aka high heels and a pencil skirt). Bob, recognizing her, drove up and offered to help her bring the bike home in his station wagon. From the start, it was clear that it was a package deal made of Carolyn and her daughters, and Bob was happy to have all of them starting a family. They even had Judy on a date at a Chinese restaurant with low lighting, to which a 10-year-old Judy declared, "To you it may be romantic, but to me it's just dark."
Married on December 22, 1967, the newly minted McBane clan moved to what would be their forever home on Glenrosa and 19th Ave. They also added 2 more daughters, Martha Begley and Christy Rose. Again, Carolyn balanced family life and work at Coopers and Lybrand, St. Luke's Hospital, and other smaller companies. Regular camping trips between Arizona and Colorado, with family visits to New Mexico and California, kept the family on the road and active.
In 1984, Carolyn pursued her deep love of learning at Glendale Community College. Her husband set her up a study area in the family camper, hooking it up with power, air, heat, and extra lighting. In her study camper, she would spread her books, papers, pencil, pens, highlighters, and calculator and dive into the various class topics with glee. She graduated with full honors and was a Phi Theta Kappa National Honors Fraternity member in 1986 with an Associate of Arts Degree.
After completing her degree, Carolyn started her career with the State of Arizona, moving through various departments, expanding her skills and knowledge of how the state government worked. She even had an opportunity to work and interact with several Arizona political stars, such as Rose Mofford. Carolyn spent her final years working as an Administrative Secretary in the State Land Department. Her peers always knew of her arrival as she drove up in her memorable 1973 Ford Bronco. She officially retired in 2003.
Carolyn would often speak of retirement as being re-tired or tired all over again. This proved true as within a few months, she and Bob started traveling the U.S. and the globe. Their first trip began with a flight to New Jersey. Then, they picked up a brand new mini-van before making the trek back to Arizona. A key stop was at West Point for a grandson's graduation. Returning to Phoenix after traveling nearly a month, they continued to plan and travel to locations in Germany, England, El Salvador, Vietnam, and Egypt!
The plethora of family milestones covered the gambit. The marriage of each of her daughters, the arrival of 16 grandchildren, and their graduations and marriages (Tim McGinnis, Jr., Ryan Giboney, Doug Holt, Shelby Erickson, Chris Giboney, Stephanie Sturtevant, Erin Julian, Simone Dowden, Mike Giboney, Petra Erickson, Jamie Kelley, Caitlin Hanson, Trisha Munoz, Xavier Rose, Rebecca Rose, and Alex Rose) and the arrival of 25 great-grandchildren and counting! Each and every one of them knowing nobody messes with “Queen Mum.” As the family expanded, so did the locations where they live(d), domestically and globally. This lent itself to additional opportunities for travel, exploring new areas, and sharing stories built on the rich fabric of lives and families she and Bob brought together.
Carolyn's retirement also allowed her to play an integral role in the church. First, as a member of Asbury United Methodist Church, she participated in Bible study groups, helped the children's summer camp program, preparing communion, and supported the adoption of Asbury becoming a reconciling church. Then, with the closure of Asbury, she moved to First United Methodist Church. She continued her active participation in various Bible study groups. In addition, she assisted with donation sorting (clothes, house goods, toys) on Wednesday mornings.
When not occupied by travel or service, she was enraptured by reading, with more than 700 books circulating on her Kindle. She would also work diligently on crossword puzzles at the kitchen counter and expand her taste buds with her best friend, Karen Champagne. Their weekly outing on Thursdays was converting them into serious "Foodies," sampling restaurants all across Phoenix and surrounding cities.
In her final months and days, her focus turned both internally and to her family. With a series of back-to-back hospitalizations in early March 2021, she entered Hospice. She was blessed with the opportunity to visit with all of her daughters, several sons-in-law, a swell of grandchildren, and a chance to meet the newest member of our family. Happily, she was able to remain aware and participate in nearly non-stop conversations. These visits gave her a significant boost of energy and brought her great joy. This solidified her realization that she had a genuinely full and bountiful life. With this gift closely embraced within her, she surrendered her earthly body and the pain and illness contained within.
Carolyn was an amazing woman, seeing and participating in the growth of not just her family but of the world in the last 82+ years. She witnessed technological advancements, from computers that fit in a single room to those that fit in the palm of your hand. She watched as Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the tragedy of both Apollo 12 and Challenger, and advances that have granted us self-landing rocket boosters and landings on Mars. She has seen culture and individual values expand with women's roles, the Civil Rights movement, and the LBGTQ community, each of which she lent her voice and support. The lessons Carolyn taught her family about perseverance, and the value of properly applied stubbornness can be seen through each generation. She will be greatly missed.
I am…
By Carolyn McBane
I am from the Navy, California, Michigan, Virginia, South Carolina, Rhode Island, New York, Florida, Maryland, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee and New Mexico.
I am from my grandma's house, base housing, rentals, Quonset huts, apartments, family homes, 30 addresses my first 30 years and the same address for over 50 years.
I am from 3 room and 4 room schools, small town schools, big city schools with asphalt playgrounds and suburban schools.
I am from Episcopal churches, and Methodist churches and small community churches of different persuasions - - But always there was a church.
I am from English/Scottish stock; Anglos the called us in Albuquerque. My family now includes Asian, Hispanic & bi-racial.
It was hard sometimes, but it prepared me for today's world.
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