Carol Diane Zywicki
April 26, 1945 - April 25, 2024
Obituary
Carol Diane Zywicki passed away at home in Renton, WA on April 25, 2024 following her four year battle with ovarian cancer.
Carol was born on April 26, 1945 in Joplin, MO to Calvin and Beva (Scantlin) Storm. She grew up in the southern Seattle area, first in Renton before her family settled in Burien. She graduated from Highline High School in 1963 and attended the University of Washington. Carol’s love of learning led to her completing her associate’s of arts degree in Computer Science from Diablo Valley Community College.
Carol loved to travel and explore new places, which began at a young age as her family took advantage of airline travel benefits from Calvin’s job. Adventures included trips to Hawaii, San Francisco, Missouri, and Bellingham, WA. This love of travel led her to working at Western Airlines, where she met the love of her life and adventure partner Thomas (Tom) Zywicki. They were married on August 7, 1970 and lived in many places, including Colorado, California, Arizona, and Washington. Together Carol and Tom explored British Columbia, Hawaii, Lake Tahoe, and Southern California, spending time in Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, and the peninsula near Long Beach, WA.
Carol loved her community. She was an active member of her high school alumni group, regularly interacting with former classmates and regular alumni activities. She was also active in her church community and well-loved among her neighbors. Everyone has a Carol story. In addition to fostering her community, Carol loved her family. She could be regularly found with her sister Liz Storm, sharing stories and discussing life events. With Tom, she raised two sons, Robert and Steven, and was involved with her grandchildren Casey, Danny, and Beth. She was excited to recently welcome her great grandson
Scotty, who brought her great joy.
Carol loved music and literature. The seeds of this love were planted by her father Calvin’s mastery of several instruments he had played in his Vaudeville act when he was young. Despite regularly agitating her mother Beva, Calvin’s continuous practice resulted in both Carol and her sister Liz learning to play the piano at a young age. Carol was a fan of a diverse range of music from rock & roll to jazz to classical. Favorite artists included Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, the Limeliters and the Beatles just to name a few. She was never without her Kindle, routinely completing books every couple of days. Her love of knowledge made her a viable contender for Jeopardy.
Carol is preceded in death by her parents, her son Robert Wilson and grandson Casey Ray-Wilson. She is survived by her husband of almost 54 years Tom, her son Steven Zywicki, her grandchildren Danny Wilson (Megan), Elizabeth (Beth) Elliott (Jake), her great grandson Scotty, and her sister Liz Storm.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, May 17th with viewing at 10 am followed by a funeral mass at 11 am at St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic Church, 4400 130th Place SE, Bellevue, WA 98006.
Carol and I graduated from Highline 1963. I am really going to miss her fun spirit and her outgoing personality. RIP Carol.
My dearest Carol,
You are the love of my life and I am devastated that you are no longer here with me. As I look back on our 54 years together, I am still amazed that you chose me to be your husband and the father of our children. We’ve had our share of tough issues to deal with in life, especially your cancer diagnosis and Robert’s death. But all in all we had a pretty good life, thanks in large part to you. You were so smart and loving and kind and patient. And I’m still in awe of the way you handled four years of chemo therapy. You are one of the bravest persons I ever knew.
I miss you terribly and not a single day goes by that I don’t think of you many times. I see you everywhere I go and in every song I hear and I just can’t stop crying. And our son, your sister, our grandkids and Cristy & John all miss you as well. But I know you are in a much better place and free of pain and for that I’m eternally thankful.
So until we meet again, I just want to say again that I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL, and I have ever since out first date back in January 1970.
Yours forever!
Tom
My dearest sister, it is so painful to lose you, but I know you are in Heaven with Jesus and all our family who have gone before you. I prayed as you were making your transition that they would all be there to greet you, and I’m sure they are. God bless you, my dear. It was such a privilege to know you my whole life. You were and are the best sister I could ever have wished for. Love and blessings, Liz
You are dearly missed every day, Carol. Thank you for welcoming me into your family with open arms and loving me, John, and the kids unconditionally. We miss you and love you.