Carol O'Malley

Carol Marie O’Malley

Carol was the youngest of three children to John and Ida Bogema. Her two older brothers, Delbert and Richard were 10 & 12 years older. She was born at Maternity Hospital in Minneapolis, MN on October 25, 1942.

Carol grew up in North Minneapolis on Humboldt Avenue and later off of Russell Avenue. Carol spent much of her childhood at home with her mother.  Carol loved being one of the first families in her neighborhood to own a television. Friends and cousins would come over to watch The Lone Ranger.  She enjoyed learning to knit with her mother and later, tackling  sewing projects during high school.  As a child, her brothers let her tag along for their newspaper routes and were responsible for teaching her to drive when she was in college.  Family and close friends  recall special memories of their time with Carol,  attesting that she  hosted the best sleepovers. Carol and her friends also filled their time sledding down the hills behind her home on Russell. Carol lost her father at the young age of 14 to a heart attack.  Soon after, she and her mother both took jobs at a nearby nursing home. Her mother was a cook and Carol helped serve and clean up after meals. 

Carol graduated from North High School in 1960.  She enjoyed playing cards with her friends and playing tennis while in high school. At the time, Carol’s favorite class was Biology and she originally hoped to become a Biology teacher. She was accepted and enrolled at the University of Minnesota. She soon realized that she would have to master Chemistry (her least favorite subject) if she were to ever become a science teacher.  This led to a change in career path toward elementary education.   Carol was the first female in her family to graduate from college in 1964 and accepted her first job with Spring Lake Park School District teaching 4th grade.  

During college, Carol broke her ankle while skiing for the first time (going UP the bunny slope!) and asked Dean if she could borrow his notes from their shared classes.   Carol commented that Dean took very good notes (love at first write?) and they eventually fell in love.  In 1965, Carol and Dean were married at Morgan Avenue Lutheran Church.  After one year of teaching in Minneapolis, Dean and Carol made an adventurous decision to move to Alaska. A friend had shared Alaska was offering financial incentives to those willing to relocate and teach in “The Bush”. They intended to return after two years with enough money to buy a dream home on a lake in Minneapolis.

Carol and Dean arrived in Anchorage on their first wedding anniversary spending their first nights in Alaska at The Captain Cook Hotel.  Their first teaching assignment was in Koyukuk, an Athabascan village on the Yukon. Carol taught grades 1-4, while Dean taught grades 5-8.  The following year they moved to Russian Mission to teach 32 children.  Their third year in Alaska was spent in McGrath, a town of 300. Carol learned they were expecting their first child while living in McGrath. On Halloween, Carol flew to Anchorage to await the birth of their first child.  Sean Blain arrived on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1969.  Carol, Dean and Sean remained in McGrath until moving to Anchorage. Carol and Dean met many special people (students and colleagues) during these years and remained connected to them throughout their lives.

Upon moving to Anchorage in 1971, Carol and Dean both accepted teaching assignments with the military base at Fort Richardson.  In 1972, Carol and Dean bought their first home in the College Gate neighborhood on Wesleyan Drive.  On April 20th 1974, Carol gave birth to her second child, Megan Marie.  Carol was an avid reader and loved to read to her children every evening.   She threw fun birthday parties with beautiful cakes, creative projects and exciting games for party goers. She was known for her artistic Jello creations and was requested to bring them to small and large gatherings. Friends recall Carol’s love for planning and hosting social gatherings for colleagues to come together to celebrate their friendship. Carol and Dean shared the same work schedules, which allowed for them to partner with juggling work, raising their kids and spending time together as a family.  They purchased their first (but not last) camper and spent countless weekends exploring Alaska, camping and playing cards at the cabin of dear friends. Carol loved to show off Alaska to every friend or relative who made the trip to visit The Last Frontier.

In 1976, Carol and Dean both enrolled in a Media & Technology graduate program at the campus of Minnesota State Mankato and spent several summers earning their master’s degree. Carol went on to teach and serve as a school librarian at a variety of schools for the Anchorage School District, including: Kennedy, Northwood, Scenic Park, Service and Williwaw.  Carol and Dean later found themselves both eligible to retire at the young age of 47 and left behind their teaching careers.  Carol and Dean formed a strong network of friends through their various schools and continued those connections long after leaving The Anchorage School District.  Carol will be remembered for her advocacy efforts in the area of professional development, mentoring new staff and creative library lessons. 

The family relocated to a townhome in the Dimond area of Anchorage after Sean had departed for his college years.    In addition to loving their new home on Delong Lake (though not on a lake in Minnesota as originally planned), Carol and Dean both tried out new careers to keep themselves busy.  Carol’s new positions included realtor, substitute teaching and a 3-year archiving project for British Petroleum.  Carol’s longest second career was representing numerous publishing companies in Alaska, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon. This position enabled Carol and Dean the ability to earn some money while visiting their favorite places as well as Sean and Megan who both settled in the Portland area.  Bonus trips were also a perk earned to visit places such as Jamaica, New York City and London.  Carol was well read and valued in this role for her vast knowledge of books and could rattle off the perfect book recommendations for any age in seconds.  Her knowledge of books and ability to build connections with others allowed her to flourish in this sales position.  

Travel was always a passion for Carol. In addition to yearly travel to visit family in Minneapolis, the family began a tradition of visiting Hawaii as much as time and funds would allow. Christmases in Hawaii became a special time for the family.  One of Carol’s special memories included a trip spent with a friend  exploring England for the first time in the 1980s.  Visiting the British Isles was her favorite trip with Dean in 1994. Carol and Dean purchased a condo on the island of Oahu in the 1980s which allowed for extended stays on the island during their retirement years. Carol treasured the morning ritual of coffee and breakfasts created by Dean on the lanai. Carol, again, loved exploring the islands with loved ones who were free to visit Hawaii.

 In 2003, Carol became a grandmother or as she was called, “Gigi” by Payton Dean, her first grandson.   Carol shared that becoming a grandparent was better than she ever imagined. She took time to take care of Payton when Megan returned to work.  Carol loved to take endless pictures of Payton and would never turn down an opportunity to chat about her “GGB” (Gigi’s good boy).  Carol and Dean increased their visits and time spent in Oregon so they could spoil their grandchildren.  They decided on adding a home in Vancouver, WA after the twins, Jillian Marie and Jameson Blain arrived in 2007. Again, Carol and Dean spent several months caring for the twins. Carol loved to read, sing and boss Gpa (Dean) around as they tackled watching two babies. Carol loved to retell every detail of their time together when Megan returned home.  When Carol was away from her grandchildren, she loved long phone conversations with Megan about anything and everything to do with her grandchildren.  These discussions continued throughout the years and it was always apparent that these three humans were on her heart and mind.

Carol’s love of art was evident throughout her lifetime. Her love of fashion and sewing creations as a teen, makeup artistry at the Donaldson’s counter in her 20’s, art projects during her years of education and her growing appreciation for the arts throughout her life.   She never turned down going to see a play and received joy hearing that others had enjoyed seeing a show for the first time. She went on to create glass art with Dean and watercolors with her granddaughter. Her art collection was her favorite possession that followed her to her new homes in the Pacific Northwest.  She loved nothing more than exploring a local artist’s gallery, often finding a thoughtful gift for someone else. 

In 2012, Carol lost Dean suddenly to a stroke.   Carol was devastated to lose her love of 46 years.   Carol recently shared, “Dean was my guide and biggest supporter in my life, losing him was the most difficult thing I have ever had to face.”   Since Dean’s passing, Carol slowly transitioned to living full time in the Vancouver and Portland area so that she was closer to family.   She made some special trips to Minneapolis, Hawaii and the Oregon Coast. Her grandchildren especially loved seeing her favorite spots in Hawaii with her.  Carol enjoyed visits from old friends from Alaska and loved ones from Minnesota over the last several years as traveling became more difficult for her.   She never turned down an offer to watch a football or Portland Trailblazer game with her grandsons and her ritual of watching Netflix & making Rice Krispy treats with Jillian was a cherished time for both of them.

Some say a perfect collection of books should contain a wide array of stories. That is Carol’s legacy: a full and beautiful life well-lived that encompasses stories of family, romance, adventure, adversity, triumph, faith and friendship. She will be so greatly missed. 

The next time you are running late, please think of Carol and smile.