Carolyn Webber

On December 27, 2023, in Monroe, Washington, the Lord called home a treasured daughter, Carolyn Webber. Born January 10, 1945, in the small town of Avalon on Catalina Island, California, she came of age in Pasadena. On a blind date in 1967, Carolyn Marr met Donald Milton Webber, Jr. Years later, on the occasion’s anniversary, he would insist they experienced love at first sight; she, quietly demurring, would simply smile.

Then again, Carolyn smiled a lot. It was a warm smile—easy, unaffected, indifferent to external circumstances, which were often unenviable. When Don and Carolyn wed in Pasadena on February 10, 1968, they vowed to love each other for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health. These vows were tried. They would experience seasons of poverty, and she would endure decades of illness, first diabetes and later dementia.

But still they rejoiced, believing that “God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death” (Psalm 68:20). Like the faithful heroes of ancient days, they “desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16). And now their souls have arrived, waiting with us for the resurrection of the body and the consummation of the kingdom of God.

Her life was a study in contrasts. A natural beauty, Carolyn shunned the vain pursuit of a merely external attractiveness. She could be sharp-tongued with a rebellious child, but she was never vindicative, never nasty; her words were unfailingly seasoned with love. For someone who carried the burdens of so many in prayer, few understood the burdens she carried in her body. She gave and gave, expecting and often receiving nothing in return.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her beloved husband; their firstborn, Donald Milton Webber, III; and her sister, Janell Gregson. To her surviving family—children Maely, Derek, David, and Bryant; son-in-law, Ryan; daughters-in-law Sarah and Anne; grandchildren Bradley, Holly, Eva, Jeffrey, Nolan, Claire, Joel, Henry, Ella, and Lucie; and the newest addition, her great-granddaughter, Ivy Mae—she leaves a legacy of how to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (I Timothy 2:2).

We miss Nana: her peaceful turn of phrase, her quiet service to the lowly, her godly steadfastness in prayer. We miss the dignified conduct of her daily life. She lived behind-the-scenes, but these are the scenes we call to mind: she is sewing a costume for a school play; she is baking an apple pie or a chocolate cheesecake; she is sipping a cup of black coffee while everyone else enjoys the dessert; she is whispering “Yes, Lord” during family prayer; she is puttering around the house, humming her favorite old hymns. Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, Victory in Jesus.

Diabetes and dementia did not have the last word. Christ the King has claimed her. Carolyn Webber, at last, has victory in Jesus.