Carol Sollers

Carol Jean Sollers of Klondyke, AZ passed away on December 25, 2019, at her home with her loving family at her side. She was born on July 10, 1938, in Toledo, WA to parents William Wesley & Laura Daniel Goetzenberger. A viewing will be held on Saturday, December 28, 2019, beginning at 10:00 a.m. with the funeral service following at 12:00 p.m. at the First Southern Baptist Church with Pastor Jack Wiley officiating. Following the funeral services, there will be a luncheon In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Haven Health of Safford at 1933 Peppertree Drive. I'd like to take a moment to celebrate the life of Carol Jean Sollers. I've known Carol since the early 80s, I met her while working for Sam and Bill, we worked together a good bit and I ended up spending a lot of time at their home. I can only imagine what she thought the first time she laid eyes on me. I have to admit I was a little wild and crazy back then, I was 15 years old and like most teenagers already knew everything there was to know. Fortunately, Carol always had that can-do attitude and tolerated me until I grew on her. It took a while to win her over but before I knew it she was treating me like one of her own kids. At the time, I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing but looking back now I could never repay her for all she has done for me. She's been very influential in my life and made me a better person and I love Carol with all of my heart. She nicknamed me Toadly, I never got a chance to ask her why, but I always thought she could have come up something a little better. Carol had a lot of great qualities, for starters she was hands down the toughest woman I have ever known. She's had a few bad cards dealt her way but you would never know it or hear her complain, instead she just went on being Carol and loving life. Carol was born in Toledo, Washington on July 10, 1938. Her parents were Laura and Bill Goetzenberger. She has four siblings, Linda, Gary, Gayle, and Sally Jo. She moved to Prescott, AZ, around 1954. Knowing Carol as good as I do, I can only imagine she may have been a little crazy and wild as a teenager too. She certainly knew how to hold her own. She has a lot of life long friends from Prescott that I've had the pleasure of meeting over the years. Prescott is also where Carol met Sam, her one true love in life that we all seek to find and so many people come up short. But nothing was short about Sam and Carol. When they met it was a match made in heaven and they never looked back. I'm so happy that they are together again. Sam and Carol married in Prescott July 12, 1957, and would forever be Mr. & Mrs. Sam Sollers, forevermore. Sam and Carol were blessed with 3 children, Sandy was the firstborn on April 19, 1958. Then came Cutter born October 1, 1960, followed up by the big Bill January 31, 1962. After starting their lives in Prescott, they moved around a lot. First to Wickenburg, then in 1965, they moved to Tempe where they purchased their first house together. They loved wide open spaces so in 1970 they moved to their acreage property on Chandler Heights. This was truly a magical place and the memories they created are priceless. I was lucky enough to be part of their lives then and I hold those memories near to my heart. Carol was thriving, she had her wonderful children, a career as a insurance agent and Sam. I remember Carol driving... well skidding into the driveway in her big boat of a car after she finished a long day of work to get dinner started for her family and the ones she adopted... like me. Carol was also very active in the Chandler Sheriff's Posse and Ladies Auxiliary. She was active in a lot of things and Sam and she enjoyed spending time together on their adventures. In 1987, tragedy struck the Sollers family. Carol got sick and their lives were forever changed. After 3 months in the hospital, Carol went home to start a very different life. I can't even imagine the sheer determination and strength it took to recover and make a new "normal" life. To this day I am still in awe of how she handled the whole thing. But if you knew Carol well you'd know she did not slow down. I am not sure I would have made it through something like that with the strength and grace Carol did... truly amazing. In 1999, Carol and Sam would make their final move to Klondyke. Boy what an adventure that was. Sam built the perfect house for Carol, their kids, and their grandkids. I can still clearly see Sam and Carol sitting on the porch visiting with their company and waving to the trucks passing by while eating those peach rings she liked so much. I remember Carol being up for anything. One of the sayings she liked to use was "you betcha!" If you asked her if she would like to do something or if she wanted something and if she did, you'd get a big smile and a "you betcha!" My wife Patty knew how much she liked them dang peach rings so on the way up to see her in Haven Rehab a few days before she passed, she picked up a bag and asked Carol if she would like a peach ring and she gave Patty a big smile said: "you betcha." People loved to come by the Klondyke house and visit and they always had a steady stream of people staying with them. I would always make sure that I called before going, so to make sure she did not already have a house full. One of Carol's greatest joys was her kids and grandkids. They are Sandy Sollers Weatherly, her kids Jaime Edgmon (James), Jake and Emily Edgmon (JW), Heather Edgmon (Wyatt, Skye, and Aspen), Cutter Sollers (Shelby, Kyler, Zach, Kori (Ryker) and Hallie), Bill & Lori Sollers and their kids EJ, (Dylan & Harlyn), Sammy, Raenell Sollers (Stihl) and Wyle Sollers. They all gave her the best, Carol was in heaven. Carol loved each and every one of them. From going to sporting events, driving out to roundups, hanging out on the ranch, playing games, doing puzzles, baking (that really means sneaking them treats) and really anything that she could have done with them she was a part of it. All the grandkids loved going to Grandma Carols' house and she loved for them to come out and visit with her. She was a wonderful grandma, and they will all miss her. Carol's achievements in life were many. She was a great wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great-grandmother. She made a huge impact on all of us and should be proud of the life she lived. She was truly a great person that will be missed by so many of us. I think that if Carol were here today, she would say thank you to all of those of you who have been there for her. These past few years without Sam have been hard on her. She would thank God for Bills' support, Lori's kindness and endless hours taking care of her, Cutter's being able to spend so much time with her this past year, Sandy's visits and love, all the grandkids and everyone who reached out with their support. Carol was blessed to have all of you in her life as we were blessed to have her in ours. So today my heart is split. One side of my heart is breaking with sadness and I will miss her so much. But the other side of my heart is happy for Carol and Sam. I have this wonderful image of Sam meeting Carol at those pearly gates with a cup of coffee for her. Sam always made coffee for Carol in the morning and left it by her bed so when she woke up it was there. And I can see them both laughing and dancing together for eternity. Written By: Todd Sczruba