Obituary of Carol Naomi Albert

Resident of Aptos My wife of over 50 years died last week. Six years ago I wrote a little piece paying tribute to her career as a hospital nurse. Here it is.... "Carol and I first met when we were in high school. She was already preparing to be a nurse. We were on such different paths it is hard to believe that we ever started dating…When Carol was going to Future Nurses of America meetings, I was going to detention. When Carol was "acing" Latin… I was struggling in my remedial rhetoric class. When Carol was being elected to the National Honor Society… I was hoping to get a "B" here or there. After high school Carol went on to one of the finest nursing schools in the country. And she had a scholarship to boot. Immediately after graduation she took a full-time job as a med/surg nurse in her hometown hospital. So began Carol's 30 year-plus career as a hospital nurse. Eventually she worked in hospitals in New England, Illinois and California. Throughout her career she only wanted to work at the bedside of people who really need help....people who were very sick, people who were injured, people in pain, people who were anxious and fearful...people who were dying. Carol repeatedly turned down promotions that would have taken her away from her patients. She, as is true of all hospital nurses, worked holidays and weekends on a regular basis. She accepted this with these words, "The patients are in the hospital on holidays and weekends. They don't get the day off." She worked every other weekend and many, many Easters, Mother's Days, Christmas Days. etc. Carol was on her feet all day long. Many days she never stopped for lunch. Carol was an unbelievably talented and caring nurse. Lucky for us locals, she worked for 20 years at Dominican Hospital. Whether it was in nurses training or decades later at Dominican, you were one very fortunate patient if you heard a woman in white say, "Good morning. I'm Carol and I'm going to be your nurse today." I thought it was high time for me to salute Carol's nursing career... Her work has been a lifetime of dedication, and compassion and love. I am amazed by what she has accomplished, and by her humility. She is my hero. And she is the hero of many others who know and love her." And now the nurse of literally thousands of sick and injured people has become the patient. For the last thirteen years Carol has battled a very aggressive type of breast cancer. It spread to her liver over 10 years ago and then to her bones. For the last decade she has been on chemo almost continuously. And the last 3 to 4 months have been hell for her. But you know what, she was an amazing nurse that became an amazing patient. She has shown amazing courage and an amazingly upbeat attitude for all these years. And through all the pains and the sorrows, she has shown us again and again, what amazing grace is all about. Near the end she couldn't walk, she couldn't eat, she could hardly talk and finally she couldn't breathe. She died at home in our master bedroom, which was our plan. Carol left us to meet the Lord embraced by love and admiration. Carol was not only a great hospital nurse and a great patient, she was a great mother to our two wonderful sons... Ken, who lives in Kona, and Bruce, who lives in the East Bay with his wife Laura, son Payton and daughter Kendall. Carol was the love of my life and my very very best friend. Someday, the Lord willing, we will again be holding hands. So here I am writing my wife's obituary... It feels just horrible.... Never imagined I'd have to do this... Friends and family are invited to the funeral service on Saturday, June 27th at 10 AM at Christ Lutheran Church in Aptos, followed by the grave side burial service at Oakwood Memorial Park, 3301 Paul Sweet Road, Santa Cruz, and an upbeat reception, including lunch, at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Aptos.