Carol Lynn Sanders, 80, of Waverly, MO, died Thursday, September 21, 2023, at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, KS.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Alma with Pastor Bernard Ross officiating. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Graveside services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, September 28, 2023, at Nelson Cemetery in Nelson, NE. Memorials are suggested to Trinity Lutheran Church or Lafayette County Enterprises in care of Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home. An online guestbook is available at www.campbell-lewis.com.
Carol was born on March 30, 1943, in Nelson, NE and was the daughter of the late Herman Hinz and Mary Akin Hinz. She had lived in Waverly, MO, Monmoth, IL, Humbold, NE and Omaha, NE. It was in Omaha where she met her husband, Al, who told her that he worked for the Omaha Fire Department. Carol was the type of person that always made sure the information she was receiving was true so she checked things out and found out that Al was telling the truth. They were married on January 9, 1969, and their son, Chad, was born on July 10, 1971. Chad came into the world weighing 11 pounds and 1 ½ ounces which made him, at that time, the biggest baby born in that hospital. Carol loved carrying him. While in Omaha, the state had a rule that when a student turned 18 they had to leave the school, so in the dead of winter, Carol went to Lincoln and appealed to the politicians to change that rule. She encouraged them to allow the student to stay with their class, regardless of their age, so they could graduate together at the end of the year. It may have been Carol’s strong love of her German heritage, which made her sometimes stubborn and highly opinionated, which compelled them to change that law.
Carol joined the Omaha Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and was a very active member for 11 years. She cherished coaching basketball, bowling and track and field for Special Olympics which Chad participated in. Carol was always a people person which made her very good in her work as a real estate agent and real estate escrow closer.
In 1990, her husband retired from the Omaha Fire Department and they moved back to Waverly, MO, which started a new chapter in her life. Together, she and Al remodeled there house. In continuation of always being active in her community, Carol served as an alderman in Waverly, and went back to being a real estate escrow closer for 11 years in Independence before retiring. Both Carol and Al had a love for boating, which they did in Omaha with family and friends of the fire department, and it continued when they moved to Waverly. They bought a 25 foot pontoon boat and went to the Lake of the Ozarks numerous times with family, friends, and still some of the Omaha Fire Department friends.
Birthdays were a special event to Carol. If you knew her, you probably got a card from her. She kept a book full of dates, that’s how thoughtful she was. She used to get upset with Al if he only got flowers OR a cake. Carol said, “It had to be both.” She always had a good time celebrating birthdays with their son, Chad, and coworkers at Lafayette County Enterprises in Higginsville. She was an amazing cook and had recipes for brownies, baked beans and, oh yes, her taco salad. It was all 2nd to none. Her favorite drink was lots of water and margaritas. And, in true Carol fashion, she had a great recipe for that.
Carol was a very caring, giving and loving mother, wife and friend.
She is survived by her husband, Al, of the home; their son, Chad, also of the home; a sister, Elaine Voegele of Lincoln, NE; son, Todd of Humbold, NE; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Carol was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, John Hinz.