My parents, Les and Shirley Kuller, were best of friends along with many others of Dick and Carol Hatch. They were introduced to each other in Hayward, CA I believe in 1957 by neighbors Carol and Ron Pacheaco. Bridge was often played on weekends and we kids were thrown in bed together and had constant reminders that we needed to stop giggling and sleep. They remained friends for their lifetime.

As a child of the mid 50’s and 60’s I would say that the Hatches and the Kullers were like the Ricardos and the Mertz. And for those who are younger, they were the two families of the I Love Lucy TV show which was full of antics that brought laughter into the homes of America. We shared so much laughter and many good times together.

The richness of our family lives could never be measured in a monetary way and It was from Carol and my mother that at a young age I learned that you don’t need to be blood related to be family. Carol and my mother explored their young motherhood days together coming up with some of the craziest theories and adventures, fortunately there were plenty of kids to test them out on. Some theories succeeded and some failed, hence the character building of the Hatch and Kuller kids.

So many fond memories of time spent at Rancho Hatcho, Sky Ranch Swim Club, heading over to the hatches in our station wagon with the ironing board and ironing to be done while we kids explored the Birch Street neighborhood in Hayward.

My last visit with Carol was right before the Covid restrictions were put in place. I brought the Kuller family movies which had many scenes of the Hatch family in them that we were able to watch on Carol’s TV. I’m convinced that Carol had moments of familiarity with the movies playing on her big TV as we visited. I’m so glad I got to hold her hand and tell her that I loved her, I always will.

I met Carol at an Oakland A’s game on a cold San Francisco summer evening. The whole family was in tow, in celebration for Dick’s birthday. I sat next to Carol for the game, and she spent the whole game helping me memorize the large family tree, and sharing stories about everyone. One of her refrains that game was telling me, “It’s a big family. A good one.” In the years that followed, I saw her cling to that mindset, even as she slowly lost a grasp of some of the other points in her life. Sometimes when her children, or grandchildren helped her, Carol’s eyes would open and sparkle and she would exclaim in appreciation, “Wow! What a good family.”

Accordingly, I remember and miss Carol as a proud and loving matriarch.

Carol was such a fantastic woman and always showed me great kindness. She was always so welcoming to me and my family and showed us lots of love. I am so grateful to have known her and to have had her in my life.

Heartfelt condolences from the Brentwood Jan/Rob/Caitlin Gemetti and Nancy DeGuire clan to our loving family of Uncle Dick, Hatch cousins, second cousins, and nieces and nephews. Our memories of spectacular family events will keep Auntie Carol's memory alive in our hearts forever. We wish you all peace and God's blessing. Now the Gemetti siblings are all together with their parents and aunts and uncles again, imagine the conversations they are having around that heavenly campfire. We miss them all and remember them fondly.

Grandma Cuckoo nurtured my love of books, letting me read anything I could get my hands on. She was unflappable, totally accepting of my wild childhood antics and the silly nickname I gave her. She inspired a love of nature with days at Tiger Creek spent picking wild blackberries, and taught us to recognize the less friendly mountain misery and poison oak. Grandma knew the lyrics to every show tune ever written, though anything by George Gershwin was a special favourite. I miss her enthusiastic rendition of “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning,” and I often hear it in my memory.

I became acquainted with Carol in 1955 when she became my sister-in-law on the occasion of the marriage of my mother (Elizabeth Crosby Robinson) to Carol’s father-in-law (Dr. F. Oliver Hatch). Over the years, Carol’s warmth and humor added much to the large “blended family” that was created by that marriage. We always looked forward to seeing Carol and Dick, as well as their great kids and grandchildren, at family gatherings. We especially enjoyed seeing Carol and Dick honored at their 50th wedding anniversary gathering by their large and loving family. We miss Carol, but will always have a place in our hearts for her.

Mac and Nancy Robinson

Carol and I went all through school together. We graduated from high school in the 1951 class. She and I both played the violin. Our teacher lived near her home. She became an RN influencing others in her family to follow in the medical profession. She was a special smart and warm friend and became part of family through her marriage to a Hatch. RIP Carol.