Feb. 20, 1939 ~ Oct. 4, 2024
Carole Rae Klinglesmith Miller, 85, passed away on Oct. 4, 2024. She was born on Feb. 20, 1939, in Rifle, Colorado, to Carl and Dixie (Austin) Klinglesmith. She grew up in Meeker, Colorado, and graduated from Meeker High School in 1957, where she was a member of the press club, homecoming queen, and student council president.
In 1959, Carole wed William “Bill” Miller on May 10. For the next eight years, she, Bill, and their three daughters followed his job to Limon, Colorado, Yuma, Arizona, and then landed in Indio, California, where she worked as an administrator assistant for the Desert Sands Unified school district.
In 1995, Carole retired and danced at the top of the stairs by rubbing it in her husband’s face that she had a whole year of retirement before him. She and her “Billy” spent years traveling back and forth to their homes in Meeker and Indio and made an effort to “make it an adventure” by taking a road map and exploring many different routes along the way.
Traveling brought Carole joy and her goal was to visit all 50 states which included cruises and helicopter rides. While doing so, she found multiple trinkets that she added to her watering can and blue glass collections.
When she wasn’t on the road, Grandma worked with her green thumb and was known to grow delicious radishes, sugar snap peas, and beautiful roses and hollyhocks that were bulbs from her own mother’s garden.
Hosting was a hobby of Carole’s and she enjoyed making big meals with plenty of side dishes. She always needed the perfect centerpiece. When she wasn’t hosting, she had pure enjoyment going out to eat with a glass of wine with family and friends—especially her Golden Girls.
In her later years, Carole surprised her family by getting matching hummingbird tattoos with Bill which will always be a symbol her family will remember of her.
Carole is survived by her brother Lowell (LoAnn) Klinglesmith, daughters Fawn Moore and Dana (Les) Flareau, five grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her best friend and sister Sherry Klinglesmith, her brother Lawrence, her eldest daughter Dawn DeSantos, and her granddaughter Bethany Garcia.
