About Carol

 

 

To paraphrase Linus from Peanuts, to know her was to love her. Unfailingly kind, she was a genuinely caring person who devoted much of her time to social and educational charities. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a smile that warmed your heart.

 

Born in Turlock, CA, on January 15, 1938, Carol was Harold and Gertrude Markley's first child, followed later by siblings Kathi, Sally, and Bill. Her father was a second generation dairy farmer, and Carol learned to drive the milk truck at an early age.

 

Carol left Turlock after high school to attend UC Berkeley, where she met the love of her life, Derrell Slatten. They were married in 1959 and had three daughters, Katherine, Jennifer and Emily. When Derrell died in 1982, Carol took on the role of single parent to three teenagers, a daunting task under any circumstances. Trained as a nurse, Carol eventually found her dream job as the administrator of the Cancer Research Lab at UC Berkeley. She loved being on her old campus, meeting Oskie, and working with people on the cutting edge of cancer research.

 

Never one to sit still for too long, Carol was not only a fixture at LUMC and Cal alumni events, she was also active in PEO, AAUW, Questers, and other groups too numerous to list. She loved travel, and she and her best friend Celeste Graham trotted all over the globe, from China to South America and various exotic points in between. She was an avid collector of Havilland china, antique clocks, and nativity sets.

 

Throughout the years Carol remained young at heart, and even when well into her 60s and 70s she enthusiastically braved the crowds to see Jennie's rock band perform, caved to Katherine's request that she attend an Eddie Izzard show, and compared iPhone apps and other Mac gadgets with Emily. She was even open to learning teenage slang from her 16 year old grandson.

 

Carol Markley Slatten was a wonderful mother, grandmother, sister and friend. We are all very lucky to have had her in our lives and will miss her very much.