Carol Ann Durepos
Carol Ann Durepos, age 84, of Woodridge, IL. Beloved wife of the late Joseph. Loving mother of Joseph (Mary) Durepos, Jr, Michelle (Randy) Durepos-Preston, Jeffrey Durepos and Denise Durepos. Devoted grandmother of Francis Durepos, Clare Durepos, Lucy Durepos, Matthew (Aeryn) West and Jared (Ashely) West. Dear sister of Michael (Charlene) Marino and fond aunt of Marc and Meredith Marino.
Carol was a military wife who traveled with her husband and family to many Air Force bases throughout the United States and abroad; from New York to California, and Delaware to Indiana, and across the Atlantic to England. After the military, Carol and her husband Joe retired in Clovis, New Mexico. Carol lived there for forty years before moving to Woodridge, IL for the last ten years of her life.
Carol became a certified spiritual director in the 1970s. Her studies took her to the Benedictine Abbey of Pecos, New Mexico, nestled in the mountains of northern New Mexico. Carol was a lifelong student, attending Eastern New Mexico and Clovis Community College.
Carol was also a sculptor, painter, gardener, voracious reader, expert in handwriting analysis, world traveler, lover of movies and art. Over the years, she lived with many beloved pets, including Deeogee and Mama.
Carol was a larger than life soul who welcomed each day as a gift and an adventure. In the words of the poet Mary Oliver: “When it’s over, I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”
On behalf of Carol’s family, we wish to say a heartfelt thank you to all those who have reached out and sent their condolences.
Due to travel and safety restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be no funeral. A memorial service will be planned sometime in the future. In lieu of flowers, we invite you to share a memory of Carol here on this page.
I got to know Carol when I came to clean the carpet at Joe’s home in Woodridge. Carol was such a delightful conversationalist! I learned not to schedule another job following a visit with her. She would
come out to the garage to talk and smoke or smoke and talk, I’m not sure which. She was sharp as can be: we just moved seamlessly from one topic to another. I always enjoyed my time with her. She was a deeply Spiritual person. May she rest in the arms of our loving God! Saint Carol, pray for us!
I met Carol 10 years ago. We became great friends and shared similar interests. I missed her stories and laughter when she moved but we did have some wonderful telephone chats. Peace and blessings to her family.
So sorry for your loss your mother was an amazing woman. I remember the Sacred Heart day’s!! Jeff we miss you and hope we c as n see you some time. Call us when you come to Clovis
Doug And Linda ( Coiner) Drake
Thank you Linda and Doug. The Sacred Heart days were great Linda, followed by the Highland days where Doug bailed me out many a time. 😂 I miss you guys and look forward to connecting soon. We really appreciate your kind words, too. It means a lot to our family. It’s so nice to read these reflections from everyone. I am so happy our Mom made a positive impact on folks. She was a good natured person and was able to achieve a lot even while we were kids. She raised us to be fiercly independent and pursue what we wanted in life. It’s cool to see her highlights presented here showing that she did the same. Give a warm hug to Dad when you see him in heaven Mom. Thank you all for the well wishes, hug a loved one now while you can. Live a full life. Peace. Jeffrey Lee
I got to know Carol after she moved in with her son Joe about 10 years ago. She was a cheerful, talkative, unpretentious woman, always smiling, always glad to see me, always at ease with herself and with the people she was with. The range of her interests was enormous, from Thomas Merton to urban sketching to British television shows. Spending time with her was a delight. She brought light to the world.
Frank and I met Carol when she moved in with Joe next door to us. What a treasure! She had so many stories to tell and she became a great confident and adviser to me. I worked through many problems with her. She was always willing to listen and give her advice and counseling to me. I came to quickly love that woman. We spent many a summer (and winter!) afternoon sitting in her garage while she enjoyed her cigarettes. My grandchildren grew to love her too. Always made us laugh! We’ll miss this wonderful lady very much. I’m sure there’s much laughter in heaven right now. God blessed us with what she added to our lives.
Dear family Durepos, Marino, Preston and West,,,
I loved to tease Carol so she would cus at me (we all know her favorite words). Of course these verbal back and forths were sprinkled through family histories, spiritual talks, and every day lives chit-chat…We seemed to pick up where we left off a year or two in the past…it did not matter…I guess that defines friendship and defies time and distances….I am honored that she let me into her life and that I have had the absolute pleasure of knowing and participating in your lives, …even though it may have been sporadic we remained and will remain connected. May the love we have for her lift her up especially since she is free from the agony she knew all too well…big hugs from all of us as we share in the inevitable grief we all have…with a special Adios con todo el corazon (a good bye from all of the heart) to our Carol.
Ron, Anna Marie and family
I lost one of my dearest friends in the world to complications caused by Covid-19. Carol Durepos had just celebrated her 84th birthday the week before.
Carol was one of the first people I met in Clovis 28 years ago. Bruce DeFoor, my division chair, had introduced me to her and we hit it off immediately. She loved books and shared many of her favorite authors with me. Kent Nerburn’s books have a special place on my bookshelves because of her and a couple of years ago Kent sent me a beautiful letter and autographed book at Carol’s request. We once enjoyed a meditation session with Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones.
Feisty, well-read, quirky, creative, well-spoken and quite knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects, she was always the life of any party. A friend described Carol as a force of nature and a formidable character. She was indeed. She was an expert at handwriting analyses. She once gave a workshop at Clovis Community College and the entire faculty and staff showed up for that one.
She was an early bird. We used to meet for breakfast at Cook’s Truck Stop in Clovis once a week. She would be there an hour early drinking coffee and reading a beloved book by the time I arrived. In the summers, I would go to her house for breakfast and we would sit out on her front porch in the shade of those magnificent trees she and her husband had planted. What a cool and beautiful home away from home for me. She made the best coffee in the world, too, but I never learned her secret.
She loved the Main Arterie in Clovis and spent a great deal of time there after Will passed. I loved to see the newest creative clay sculptures she was working on.
When she moved to Albuquerque, I was able to get over and see her a few times, but after she moved to Chicago to live with her son, I was only able to get up there twice and the visits were entirely too brief. We always kept in touch by phone, though. Those calls gave me my Carol fix. What an amazing woman and a beautiful friend. They say memories allow you live the best moments of your life multiple times. My heart aches right now, but I will cherish those memories of Carol for the rest of my life.
Happy Mother’s Day Mom!
This is your special day for venturing into parenthood. I’m sure it was met with some challenges, but as evidenced in the comments left here, and by the family/friends group texts, you did a nice job.
I hope your day is a beautiful one filled with love, dad’s company, relaxation, tasty food, all your pets at your feet, and a good look down here on earth to see those who will be thinking about you.
Love, your #3.
My sincere condolences to the Durepos Family. I only knew Jeff and Denise (many years ago), but my heart and prayers go out to all those who loved and cared about Carol.
Hi Holly, Thank you for your prayers. My siblings and I appreciate you taking a moment to share. Jackie Goodman and I have chatted about a smaller reunion-like event soon. It would be nice to get together and connect. I hope you and your family are healthy and happy. Best. Jeffrey Lee