Carol Lynn was born Saturday, July 1, 1967, on the “The Greatest Canada Day of them all” according to Robert Fulford. She was Chesley’s Centennial baby. Her parents, William “Bill” G.A. and Leona “Lee” (Rowan) Mink, as well as older sister Penny, welcomed her following the untimely death of her older brother, Terry, who died in infancy.
In many ways, 1967 was a happy summer and the Americans called it the summer of love. Indeed, peace and love reigned. It should come as no surprise then that Carol came to be known as a caring, loving, kind and thoughtful person. She loved to help both family and friends, neighbours and strangers alike. Carol always took the time to chat and ask how things were. As one condolence put it, “Her words of wisdom were greatly heard… her sharing gestures were greatly shared… her kindness passed to the greatness of all our hearts.”
Carol attended Chesley Public School and later Chesley District High School. She soon began a high school co-op with the local Board of Education and took a job there following school. During these early years, Carol began to play baseball and thoroughly enjoyed it. This passion for sports continued throughout the rest of her life.
In the mid 80’s Darren Robert Misch moved in with a cousin in Chesley. Darren’s cousin was a next-door neighbour of Carol’s and in time the two began dating. After four years of dating, Carol and Darren were wed, on June 27, 1992 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Chesley. What followed quickly became Carol’s newest passion and tremendous pride. Zachary Robert was born in 1993 followed by Jacob William Robert in 1996 and Madison Nicole in 2000. No one was better at making everything all right than Carol, and for this, her family was truly thankful.
Carol remained with the School Board until the late 90’s. Her life was quite busy with a young, growing family and she was ready for a change. She enjoyed spending additional time caring for and supporting her children. Over the next ten years, in addition to being an active mother, she also worked a variety of odd jobs. In 2008, Carol took a job opportunity with Maple Leaf Foods. She loved her job and her co-workers and served as a Breeders Services Coordinator for the company until her sudden death.
Carol loved her local area and everything it had to offer. She enjoyed taking drives through the countryside to admire its splendour. Tending to her flower garden was yet another passion for Carol. When time allowed, Carol enjoyed watching a variety of crime shows on TV like “Law & Order,” “CSI” and “Criminal Minds.” She also enjoyed watching sports with curling and hockey being her favourites. I am also told she had a soft spot for the TV show “Alf” and this fondness remained into her adult years. Reading crime novels by James Patterson stole some of her time as well as spending time with her beloved dog “Mia”, a Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu mix.
After living in Chesley for her entire life, Carol and her family moved to Tara in 2019, where Carol was truly embraced. She enjoyed promoting and supporting local, and not so local, animal shelters, businesses, charities, events, and giveaways! She was also a strong proponent for mental health! Most recently, Carol was a major advocate for ‘Holiday Sparkle in Tara.’ This doesn’t come as a surprise as Carol truly loved Christmas and she always went all out! Carol also enjoyed selling AVON for the last two and a half years. The best part of selling Avon for Carol was all the new friends she met.
Two of Carol’s life lessons to her family were, “Never Give Up” and “Be Your Own Person.” And indeed, Carol did as she spoke for she was a profoundly genuine person. Her loving, caring personality will be missed by all those who were lucky enough to meet her!
Sadly, Carol became ill in early December and passed away suddenly at Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound on Sunday, February 2, 2020 in her 53rd year.
Beloved wife of Darren. Cherished mother of Zachary, Jacob, and Madison. Carol will be dearly missed by her mother Lee Mink of Chesley and her sister Penny Bailey (Murray Johnston) of Chatsworth. She will be fondly remembered by her niece Michelle (Marcus) Eppendorfer and their daughter Sofia; nephew Chris (Karen) Bailey and their son Rylan and the entire Misch family as well as many friends. Carol was predeceased by her father Bill Mink (1998) and brother Terry in infancy.
The family will receive friends at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Friday from 7 – 9 p.m. where a memorial service celebrating Carol’s life will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 1 p.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service.
Memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society or Heart & Stroke Foundation would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
