Carol Oeljen

November 07, 1942 - May 16, 2016

Carol Oeljen Obituary Longtime Spokane resident Carol Oeljen passed away at home at the age of 73 in the arms of her daughter, Carlin, in Auburn, WA, on 5/16/16. Carol had been living with Carlin and her family for the past six months due to end-stage heart failure. Carol Clementine Bauman was born at Waseca City Hospital in Waseca, MN, to parents Beatrice Turnacliff and Clarence Bauman on November 7th, 1942. Two years later, Carol's sister, Cleone Beatrice, was born and brought with her great joy to Carol's life. Carol attended Waseca Public Schools from kindergarten through grade 12, graduating in 1960. During her primary school years, Carol found an immense amount of joy in singing in chorus and playing the flute and piccolo during concerts and in the marching band. She was also very skilled at performing baton twirling in the marching band, and enjoyed tap dancing as well. Following graduation from high school, Carol attended Abbott School of Nursing in Minneapolis, MN, where she met her lifelong best friend, Carol Waterman Nichols. Carol graduated from Abbott School of Nursing in 1963, and stayed at Abbott Hospital to work for in-service education for five years. During this time Carol started dating longtime schoolmate and hometown friend, Carl Oeljen. Carol and Carl were married in 1965, and Carol then attended the University of Minnesota where she received her BA in sociology in 1967. Following graduation from the University of Minnesota, Carol and Carl moved to Salt Lake City where Carl continued medical school, and Carol started the in-service education department at University Hospital of Utah. Carol and Carl then moved back to their hometown of Waseca, MN, while Carl was in general practice from 1968-1969. Shortly thereafter, in 1969, the ARMY took them to Ft. Jackson in Columbia, SC. One year later, in 1970, Carol and Carl's first daughter, Christelle Marie, was born. Soon after, Carl left for Vietnam, and Carol and Christy moved back to Minnesota and lived in Owatonna until Carl returned from Vietnam. The ARMY then took Carl, Carol, and Christy to Ft. Ord on the Monterey Peninsula of California. Carl and Carol enjoyed Monterey very much, frequenting the Lone Cypress tree and Carmel Beach often. A longtime goal of Carol and Carl was to visit the Lone Cypress on their 50th wedding anniversary, which would have been on September 4th, 2015. The year 1972 brought the Oeljen family of three to Madison, WI, for three years while Carl was attending residency. During this time, Carol continued her love of nursing education by serving as faculty for the Madison General Hospital School of Nursing. Carol and Carl always dreamed of settling in the west. They found themselves falling in love with Spokane when visiting Carol and George Nichols, as well as Carl's brother, Richard. In 1975, Carol and Carl fulfilled their dream and moved to Spokane where they would spend the rest of their lives. Five years after arriving in Spokane, in 1980, Carol and Carl welcomed their second daughter, Carlin Courtney. Carol worked in many capacities as a nurse throughout her years in Spokane. She worked at Sacred Heart Medical Center in the in-service education department. She also coordinated the distance learning program for the Gonzaga University School of Nursing. Additionally, Carol worked at the Visiting Nurses Association as a quality assurance director and with community outreach. Until her retirement in 2006, Carol worked as the coordinator of the skills lab, as well as taught clinical for, the Spokane Community College nursing program. Carol also participated actively within the Washington State Nurses Association and the Inland Empire Nurses Association. Carol was an avid Gonzaga basketball fan. She thoroughly enjoyed watching the ZAGS play on television with her friends and family, and knew more team stats than seemingly possible! She had every single game time and opponent written boldly in her calendar and never missed a game! Carol also loved boating with her family on Lake Coeur d' Alene, entertaining, and traveling with Carl. However, Carol found the most joy in participating in the lives of her six grandchildren and watching them grow. Carol is survived by daughters Christelle Brown (Richard) and Carlin Froisland (Eric), granddaughters Ashlyn (14), Landrey (10), Selah (8), Amorin (5), and Lochlan (2), grandson Colton (13), niece Trystin Oeljen Street, nephew Charles Sutlief, as well as cherished friends Carol, George, Calvin, Annie, and Scott Nichols. Carol is preceded in death by her husband Carl, parents Clarence and Beatrice Bauman, and sister Cleone Sutlief. A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 3rd, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mark's Lutheran Church (316 E. 24th Ave, 99203), with a viewing beginning at 10:00 at St. Mark?s. A luncheon will immediately follow the funeral service at St. Mark?s, concluding with a graveside service at Greenwood Memorial Terrace at 2:00 p.m. (211 W Government Way, 99209). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Franciscan Hospice & Palliative Care, or SpokAnimal. Even amidst numerous health trials over the past few years, Carol always had a smile on her face and exuded an immense amount of comfort to those around her. The world will never know a kinder woman, or a more loving and supportive mother and grandmother. ?But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint?. Isaiah 40:31.