Carol Marie (LaFrance) Hunter

Carol Marie LaFrance Hunter August 14, 1936 – November 6, 2024 Carol Marie La France Hunter was born August 14, 1936 in the Portola Valley District of San Francisco. Proceeded by eldest Son, Dean A. Bishop, Parents: James and Marie La France. Survived by her Husband Wayne M. Hunter. Children, Mark J. Bishop - Santa Rosa, Todd W. Bishop (Debra) - Santa Rosa, and Scott W. Bishop (Eden) - Santa Rosa, Step daughter Elizabeth Johnston (Sean) – Tracy, Ca. and Teryl Fogle, daughter in law. Grandchildren: Breaunna Bishop, (John Noe), Asia Bishop, Amber Bishop, Brandon Bishop, and Zachory Pfeifer – Broomfield, CO. Siblings, James La France (Trudy) Campbell, Jean Baylo (Ron) Inverness, and Thomas La France (Victoria) Windsor. A devoted wife and mother of four children, Carol met the love of her life Wayne Hunter in 1977, and the two were married September 28, 1984. Together they enjoyed Country Line Dancing, Snow Skiing, Vacationing in Carmel, Cruising the seas, theater and the arts, dining at fine restaurants and crab feeds. Carol retired from the Sonoma County, Accounts Payable department. She was most proud of her children and grandchildren attending most school and after school events being their biggest cheerleader. She loved being a Nana and showering her grandchildren with love, if anything ever happened, she would be the first one to pick them up, dust them off, and tell them everything is okay. An avid reader and novelist Carol wrote 3 murder mysteries, Nanny Murders, Retail Murders, and Spa Murder. A graduate of St. Elizabeth's grammar school and St. Vincent's High School in San Francisco. Growing up she lived in a sub divided household in San Francisco. Grandmother lived in the front, Carol's family in the back with aunt and uncle, the Cabral’s family down stairs. These were the days of delivery of fresh milk, blocks of ice for the ice cooler and coal for the stove that also heated the house. This arrangement created Carols lifelong strong family bonds. When the family went on vacation eleven people would climb into her dad's car to travel to the Russian River. There were six La France’s and five Cabral’s. The adults and older children held the younger children on their laps for the two-hour drive to the Russian River from San Francisco. One of Carol’s favorites places to visit was a restaurant by the bridge where for a dollar you could get a banana split to die for. In 1953 her grandmother purchased three lots in Mirabel Park, a short walk to the Russian River. A shell of a three-bedroom, one bathroom house that was elevated eight feet off the ground. A house with its cardboard walls between the bedrooms was her playground, Carol loved it. She was at Mirabel Park beach every day. One summer her parents allowed Carol and James to spend the summer unsupervised during the week and they would work at the Forestville apple packing house, packing apples in July. In those days it cost fifty cents to get into the dance hall to dance to the music of Dick Crest and his band. To get to the dance hall Carol hitchhiked with her brother, cousin Arlene and a friend Bob Adami to Rio Nido. You could do that in those days. Later, she met friends with access to a car and that opened up more of the Russian River to explore. Carol loved to dance, and she was really good at it. The dance floor was huge and crowded. The jitterbug was the dance and Carol's size allowed her partners to swing her over their back and every other which way. It was a site to remember and others would stop to watch. Carol and her family looked at those times at the Russian River cabin as being special, and Carol reminiscing about those times always brought a smile to her lips. Being the oldest sibling, Carol took on the role of matriarch, was loved, and will be missed. Services will be held 11:00am Friday November 22, 2024 at Saint Eugene’s Cathedral 2323 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa CA, 95405. Florist: Pedy’s Petals (707) 595-4458. The family request any donations to be made to the American heart association P.O. Box 840692, Dallas TX, 75284-0692

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