 1946 - 2014 (67 years) Submit Photo / Document
Has 98 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.
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| Name |
Carolyn Whipple |
| Birth |
1 Dec 1946 |
Burley, Cassia, Idaho, United States  |
| Gender |
Female |
| Initiatory (LDS) |
8 Jul 1967 |
IFALL |
| FamilySearch ID |
LNMH-P8F |
| Death |
1 Oct 2014 |
Declo, Cassia, Idaho, United States |
| Burial |
7 Oct 2014 |
| Person ID |
I162554 |
mytree |
| Last Modified |
25 Feb 2024 |
| Father |
Don Wilda Whipple, b. 15 May 1925, Declo, Cassia, Idaho, United States d. 17 Oct 2019, Farmington, Davis, Utah, United States (Age 94 years) |
| Mother |
Norma Lou Nelson, b. 29 May 1927, Tooele, Tooele, Utah, United States d. 29 Feb 2012, Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, United States (Age 84 years) |
| Marriage |
12 Aug 1945 |
Oakley, Cassia, Idaho, United States |
| Family ID |
F41296 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Notes |
- Carolyn was born to Don and Norma Lou Whipple, On December 1st, 1946 a t t he Cottage Hospital in Burley, Idaho. Her parents were the best examp le o f people who loved each other and others. They taught our mom how t o lov e unconditionally. I knew she loved me and I think that all of us e ven th e grandkids feel like we were one of her favorites, Mom was good a t makin g me feel special and that is trait I think she got from Grandm a Whipple .
She was the first child and grandchild born on both sides of the f a mily so, you can imagine how much everyone spoiled her. She says she wa sn ’t spoiled, she was loved.
Mom was the only child for about five years. She prayed daily for sever a l months for a little brother, and finally Glen arrived. Glen was su c h a tease there may have been moments she wasn’t as excited. Despite t h e teasing she loved him so much. Years later Gary was born, she said h e b rought so much joy into their lives .
School was easy for mom and she loved it. She loved to read and won mo s t of the spelling bees in her class. Mom continued to read throughout h e r life and even to the very end could out read any one of us, besides m ay be, her dad. She graduated as Salutatorian from Declo High School. Sh e wa s offered a full tuition scholarship to BYU.
One day she was walking through the Y center on her way to a class and s h e heard her name called. Mom said, “I looked over and there was a tabl e o f kids from Declo. We talked for a few minutes and then I went on m y way . Later that week I got a call from Dan Gillett asking me to go out . I al ready had a date and I actually had the nerve to say, “You need t o call s ooner next time.” I only meant that I would have liked to go wit h him, bu t Dan took it that I was kind of conceited. Anyway, I guess h e took it a s a challenge and did call back. Our first date was to a BY U basketball g ame. “Surprise! Surprise!”
One day while dating dad, mom had an experience that made her think th a t she was going to get hurt. She was quite upset and after spending ti m e fasting and praying, she received a calm, peaceful heart. She said “ I k new that I loved Dan and whatever happened, it would be all right an d I w ould get through it.” A couple of days later she received an Easte r baske t from Dad with a note attached which was signed, “Love, Dan”. Mo m said “ I was so excited and we had a date on Saturday. He was taking m e to the H otel Utah in Salt Lake City for dinner. I found a nice dress a nd went, ne ver dreaming that it was going to be so special. After a nic e dinner, Da n took me to one side of the room and while we were lookin g at the Salt L ake Temple asked me to be his wife for all eternity. I wa s speechless . I just hugged him and he teased me later that he had no id ea whether th at meant yes or no. I was so happy that I walked on air fo r the rest of t he school year.” They were married 47 years ago in the Id aho Falls Templ e on July 20, 1967.
She graduated with a degree in Home Economics Education, magna cum laud e , from BYU in May 1970. She was valedictorian of her college. Educati o n was really important to mom.
Mom and Dad were excited for a family, but they had a hard time gettin g s tarted. When they found out they were expecting they were elated. I t too k so long for Tara to come that they were pleasantly surprised whe n 18 mo nths later Becky was born. This time the nine months didn’t see m that lon g. Mom and dad were so excited to finally have a son, when Sha ne was born . A few years later Mom had a difficult time having Laurie an d we almos t lost them both. The doctor told mom and dad they should no t have any mo re children. About a year later mom learned she was expecti ng again. Sh e was nervous about having another child but soon got over t hat and was e xcited about it. When I was born, Mom said, “Heavenly Fathe r knew we need ed Lisa.” At one time during Mom’s journey as a mother sh e found it diffi cult to get things done and was going through a hard tra nsition. After ha ving a discussion with Dad, her attitude changed. Mom s aid, “Since then w henever it seemed that there were things that I just h ad to do that I cou ldn’t because of lack of time, I would think of the s cripture from Eccles iastes 3:1. “To everything there is a season, an d a time to every purpos e under heaven.” I feel like this scripture beca me a theme for mom and ev en during her years of being sick she realize d it was her time to get thi ngs done and worked hard to prepare her fami ly for her death. She wrote h er own extensive personal history and compi led her parents and grandparen ts histories, what a treasure to us.
Our mom was an amazing mother. Everything she did was for us and makin g s ure we were happy. If she knew we needed something she would go witho ut s o that we could have it. Dad would assign everyone chores and late r woul d find Mom helping them. She would say, “I would rather help the m or do i t myself than have them be unhappy.” Mom didn’t even get tha t mad, whe n Becky and Shane snuck into the Christmas presents year afte r year afte r year.
Two summers of our childhood were spent cutting down trees in the Sawtoo t h Mountain Range. We would haul firewood and sale it. Mom stayed at th e c amp with Shane and Tara. Dad Becky, Laurie and I left to take a loa d dow n the mountain. The truck broke down on the way back up the mounta in whe n we were still over an hour away from camp. We were stuck and did n’t kno w exactly what to do. I said, “If I yell loud enough, Mom will co me.” W e did get help and sure enough mom came down the next morning beca use w e hadn’t returned. I think that sums up how we feel about our Mothe r .
Mom taught Home Economics a little bit before Tara was born and then w a s able to stay home. After her family was complete, mom decided to go b ac k to school so that she could teach English. This allowed her to teac h Hi gh School in Burley after Dad got a job as a principal. She taugh t ther e until she retired. One of the experiences I had when mom was m y teache r was that she was giving us an assignment… She was a good teach er who tr uly loved her students. She had a knack for rooting for the und erdog, an d had a tender heart for those that needed more support and lov e .
In 2001, Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. From her history it say s , “On October 18th I went to the doctor for the results of the biopsy a n d of course, it was not good. That dreaded “C” word. Fortunately on Oct ob er 19th I had already planned to go to Laurie’s to help with her new b ab y after she came home from the hospital. It was there that I had anoth e r epiphany. I was holding Jamie and Abbey both on my lap and both had g on e to sleep and I realized how blessed I was. I knew everything would b e a lright. Those few days with those two cute little girls grounded me a nd g ave me peace so I could face what was ahead.” And so began a long ba ttl e with Cancer. She had surgery scheduled almost immediately and start ed c hemo not long after that. It is difficult to know how hard this wa s for h er to go through. Mom said,”One of the things that helped me thr ough thi s time was having my little Sam there.” He would spend lots o f time sitt ing with her and just made her feel happier and better .
Dad had always wanted to serve a mission with Mom. Mom was struggling wi t h the idea of leaving us and the grandkids. Mom and Dad went on a chur c h history trip to Nauvoo. Along the way, they stopped at the Willie Han dc art site. Mom said,”While standing looking at the grave the powerful t hou ght went through my mind, that if they could do what they did and di e fo r the gospel, I could leave my home and serve a mission.” Once she k new i t was what Heavenly Father wanted her to do, she never had anothe r doubt . This is the way she did everything. Mom and Dad were called t o work wit h the youth on a CES mission. My parents were teachers and lov ed workin g with the kids. Mom was excited when they received this call a nd loved e very minute in Alabama.
Spending time together as a family has always been important to Mom an d D ad. They started planning a cousin’s week every summer. Mom always ha d cr afts and fun things for the kids to do. They look forward to our tim e tog ether every year. They love coming to Papa and Grandma’s house. M y dad lo ves to tease the kids, and on one occasion was teasing Kenzie, m y 1 yea r old niece, that he was going to get her, she looked at him an d in a ver y clear voice stated, “I want my Grandma!” This was her very f irst senten ce. Mom loved to read to the kids, she must have read severa l of the book s hundreds of times. Mom loved to have the grandkids com e to her house . She planned yearly Easter egg hunts, fun talent shows, a nd sent Valenti nes cards with two dollar bills.
Mom served in different callings in the church including young wom e n’s, relief society, and in the temple. She loved the people that she s er ved with. Mom and dad served in the temple after their mission. They s erv ed in this calling until mom was too sick with cancer. When she was d iagn osed for the second time with cancer she told us not to pray for he r to g et better but to pray for us and her to have the strength to get t hroug h the times ahead. Mom was okay with dying.
When I think of my mom I think of someone that cared deeply for everyon e . She always had a kind word to say about them. She made the world a be tt er place. She was an amazing mother. Things that were important to u s wer e important to her. I knew that I was loved. Her home was always we lcomin g and fun. There is a saying that hangs in our home, it says, “M y house i s clean enough to be healthy, and messy enough to be happy.” M y cousin to ld us that this made an impression on her growing up, moms ho me was a pla ce she felt like she could be herself. Our home was not alwa ys perfect bu t it was happy.
Towards the end of mom’s life she told Glen that she would not change an y thing about her life… she and Dad had a wonderful life together
Written By Carolyn's Daughters
Becky, Laurie, & Lisa
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Has 98 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.
English
