January 1, 1940 — September 17, 2026
Carol Ann Cole went to be with the Lord on September 17, 2026. She was born in Ventura, California on January 1, 1940, the only child of Robert and Patricia Wiker. She spent nearly all of her 86 years in the city where she was born.
Carol met Bob Cole in high school, on a hay ride put on by the Methodist church. They began dating when she was fifteen. Her mother encouraged it — Bob was the dry-cleaning delivery boy at the Wiker home, and Patricia, her mother, was won over by the "yes, Ma'am" and "no, Ma'am" he had brought with him from Texas. She was right about him. They married on July 31, 1960 at Community Presbyterian Church in Ventura. Although the family attended the Methodist church; Carol and her mother wanted a center aisle for her to walk down, and the Methodist church did not have one at the time. Their reception was one of the first events held at the newly built Women's Center, now the Poinsettia Pavilion.
Both were still in college when they married. Carol finished at USC with a degree in genetics, biology, and education while Bob finished across town at UCLA. Money was thin in those early years, and getting through it together helped to make them strong. A year later they moved from Los Angeles to Ventura, where Carol had accepted a teaching position at Ocean View School in Port Hueneme. They bought a home in East Ventura. Shortly afterward she learned she was expecting, and she resigned the position before she ever began.
She never taught that class, but she never stopped teaching. From the day Richard was born, Carol was wholly present in her children's lives and their education. She volunteered in classrooms, led special events, and developed the Parent Volunteer Program at the school all three of her children attended.
Once her youngest graduated from college, Carol went back to school herself and earned a master's degree in special education from UC Santa Barbara. She went on to teach part-time at Ventura College for eighteen years, and for a time she and her daughter Patricia taught in classrooms right next door to one another.
For many years she was active in Bible Study Fellowship, both as a participant and a group leader. She cared for friends' children while their mothers worked — one of countless ways she helped people, in whatever way she could.
In the early 1980s Carol got the first of many yellow labradors, and over the next ten years she helped deliver and raise eight litters of puppies. She loved everything about it, and stayed friends with many of the families who took one home. The profits went to support missionaries in Asia that she and Bob had met on a trip there.
Carol loved flowers and gardening. Her yard was always beautiful and colorful, something out of a magazine, and orchids were her favorite — she loved growing them and sharing them. The Cole home became the house where all of her children's friends wanted to be, and Carol was a great part of the reason. She welcomed everyone who came through the door, and visitors were greeted with her enthusiasm, that big smile, a listening ear, good food, and always a fun time.
Carol loved to travel. In the early years the family went together — snow and water ski vacations, and a motorhome trip up the East Coast that stopped at all the historical sites and ended at Niagara Falls, and a cruise of the Holy Lands. Once the children were grown, she and Bob went as a couple: England and Scotland, Spain, Germany, France, Russia, and Greece. They walked the beaches of Normandy, where American troops came ashore and so many lives were lost. Italy was one of their favorites, and they returned a number of times, including to the Vatican. There was even a tour of the BMW factory in Germany. Closer to home, Carol loved the theater, and held season tickets to the Ahmanson for more than fifty years.
Carol was a delightful grandmother, and she loved the role. She made each of her four grandchildren feel special and treasured, and she and Bob took them on excursions one at a time — hours that were cherished as much by the grandparents as by the grandchildren. Through all those years the family gathered for holidays and special occasions, and Carol was at the center of them, hosting them, and making sure everything was just right.
Carol was known for her big, beautiful smile. It was a constant. She was a friend to all who knew her — engaging, and able to make the person in front of her feel valued, listened to, and loved. She encouraged people in many ways and helped them through challenging times. Her patience and perseverance were admirable. She was a present, faithful, Godly woman, truly one of a kind, cherished by her family, her friends, her students, and even by those who cared for her so perfectly at Community Memorial Hospital over these last three weeks.
She is survived by Bob, her husband of 66 years; her children, Richard Wiker Cole of Ventura, Michael Robert Cole (Cheryl) of Santa Margarita, and Patricia Sue Cowan (Jeff) of Ventura; and her four cherished grandchildren, David Michael Cole, Kalen Wiker Cole, Kelsey Ann Cole, and Gabriella Noelle Cowan. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Patricia Wiker of Ventura.
A service celebrating Carol's life will be held at Orchard Community Church located at 8180 Telephone Road in Ventura on Thursday, October 1st at 1:30 PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carol’s honor to Tender Life Maternity Home in Ventura.
Arrangements are under the direction of the BOYKO & REARDON TELEGRAPH ROAD MORTUARY & CREMATION, 15 Teloma Drive, Ventura.