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.