On the morning of Sept. 11, with her husband by her side, Carolyn Driver, age 61, went to be with Jesus, after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Shining around the edges of the storm clouds, however, are rays of joyous sunshine, and the knowledge that Carolyn is no longer suffering, is free, and is in Heaven with Jesus. Although the end came quickly, it has been coming for three and a half years, and Carolyn has been able to prepare herself both spiritually, and in worldly Matters. I have felt like I was stuck in concrete and a semi was bearing down on me. At least that part is over. Now my future without Carolyn begins. I am partly sunny with intermittent rain showers.

Carolyn was born in Homer Alaska, to Mike and Phyllis Balogh. She grew up near Seldovia, across the bay in the Alaska Bush.  Carolyn's father commercial fished in the summer and built wooden boats in the winter. When the siblings became old enough, they became employed in the family fishing business. Carolyn's mom did seed bead work making necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, perhaps contributing to Carolyn's love of beads and handmade art. The family lived a subsistence lifestyle on the seashore.

Carolyn moved to Anchorage when she was 16 and began her single life in the city. She started out doing ceramics, casting molds, and slipping. She moved on to running automotive parts for various parts stores until she landed at my workplace as a parts runner. Carolyn excelled at everything she did, and she kept moving up the ladder. Before long she became a parts counter person, selling body panels and trim, primarily to body shops and wholesale accounts.  Caroline and I worked at the same auto dealership. We found out later that we caught each other's eye. She thought I was nice, and I thought she was cute. She had to carry parts through my work bay, and I would open the door to the body shop for her if I was available. When I found out she was studying for her pilot's license. I invited her to go flying in my plane. We went to Burger King afterwards and stayed until they stacked chairs around us and turned out the lights. That was our first date. We were perfect for each other and Felt that God brought us together. We married, and Caroline stayed at the dealership until she quit to make beads full-time in 2000, largely inspired by the desire to stay home with our new child, born the previous year. We were married for 33 years.

Quitting our jobs, and making beads full-time, was a difficult decision, but we prayed a lot and after several confirmations, we stepped out of the boat in faith. God took care of us and there were lots of opportunities to trust him and He came through every time. Carolyn made beads starting around 1996 so when she quit Work. We hit the ground running. She first started selling on eBay, and I still remember the first time I went to the mailbox and there were checks in the mail! I loved going to the mailbox after that!  We soon got a merchant account and started Traveling out of Alaska to bead shows. We were having success, and at the same time we got tired of Alaska winters and decided to move to Nebraska. We continued to Portland, San Jose, Tucson, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City and New York City for shows. We rode the crest of the Lamp-work craze for 10 years. Imported glass started coming onto the scene causing prices to start trending down. At first the quality wasn't there, but we all know that practice makes perfect, and we could see the writing on the wall. I went back to work as a mechanic while Carolyn continued with online bead sales, and with the lower overhead was able to be very successful. Carolyn branched out from eBay to Etsy, and when those platforms faded, she found a home on the Facebook sales groups, eventually becoming co-admin on three groups. Caroline continued making beads and branched out into lamp-working enamel on copper. During the first bout with cancer, Carolyn took a hiatus from bead, making and admin duties for a while. The cancer went into remission for one year, and she resumed those activities, but when it came back, she was unable to continue. She missed her online family of bead people, and followed along and communicated as she could. She wanted to come make an announcement, but the end came very quickly and she was unable. Carolyn was a servant with a soft heart, who readily performed random acts of kindness before that was a thing. It was a great honor to return her love and take care of her at the end. She was so good to me. As my last act of love and honor, I am organizing the memorial service for her myself. With the help of friends and family, we will all give back to her and give her the memorial that she deserves. I love you, Babe!

She is survived by her husband Chuck, son Artemis, younger sister Sharon Balogh, nieces Samantha Campbell and Stephanie Campbell, also her aunts Mary Boone and Carole Goshorn, her uncle Laurie Tobey, and many cousins.

A celebration of Carolyn's life will be held on Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. at Valley Christian Church in North Platte.

Carpenter Memorial Chapel in North Platte has been entrusted with the arrangements.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family.  Online condolences and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.carpentermemorial.com.