Carroll Catherine Fossoy

Carroll Catherine (Cayler) Fossoy, 80, passed away peacefully on June 25, 2013 at Good Samaritan Society in Fort Collins, Colorado. In April she and her husband of 57 years moved from Rapid City, South Dakota to Fort Collins, Colorado to live near their oldest daughter. After 37 years of severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Carroll was welcomed home by her Lord and Savior. Carroll was born May 7, 1933 in White River, South Dakota to Orville and Esther (Carroll) Cayler. Her parents lived near Parmelee, South Dakota, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. She was an only child. When she was 5 years old they moved to Buffalo Gap and ran the grocery store. For first through third grade Carroll attended different country schools in the Black Hills as the family moved to a different place every March because that was when the leases ran out. For fourth grade they moved to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. For fifth through eighth grades they lived north of Hermosa and Carroll attended the Hermosa town school. For ninth through twelfth grades she attended Rapid City High School. They did not have electricity until 1949. Carroll graduated from high school in 1951. She considered going to Teacher’s College in Spearfish, South Dakota or doing office work. In June she started working at Dakota Typewriter in Rapid City as a bookkeeper. She liked the work and decided to stay. She worked there until November of 1956. She and her friends attended dances, where she met the love of her life. Carroll married John Melvin Fossoy on June 17, 1956 in Hermosa, South Dakota. John built them a house north and east of Rapid City, and they moved into the house in October 1956. They had four children over the next ten years. They worked the farm and lived in the house until 1998, when they moved into Rapid City. Carroll enjoyed her life as a homemaker and often helped in the field and with the cattle. She kept a clipping that said, “Quite frankly I like being a mother. Okay … call me weird or shallow or whatever you like… but before you do, remember this – from billions of babies God chose these four for me. What has made being a mother all that it is… is that had I been given the chance, I’d have made the very same choice.” She was a member of South Park United Church of Christ Church. She enjoyed RV camping, traveling, reading and handiwork. Even with her limitations, she felt she had a good quality of life if she could spend time with family and friends. At Good Samaritan, she participated in many life enrichment activities, such as Brain Aerobics, Sit and Be Fit, Colorado History, and attended daily Devotions in the chapel. She is survived by her husband, John; her daughters: Karla Fossoy (Eric Pabo) of Fort Collins, CO and Ann Fossoy Holloway of Nikiski, AK; her sons: Dan Fossoy (Gayle) of Independence, KS and Steven Fossoy (Rachel) of Beaverton, OR; 11 grandchildren: Nick Pabo, Catie Fossoy, David Holloway (Krista), Chad Holloway (Randee), Evan Holloway, Dylan Holloway, Taylor Holloway, Hunter Holloway, Natalie Fossoy, Fiona Fossoy and Conall Fossoy; 2 great-grandchildren: Josiah Holloway and Bradlee Holloway. She was predeceased by her parents, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. The memorial service in Fort Collins will be at 1pm on Saturday, July 6, 2013 at Good Samaritan Chapel with Chaplain Steve Kitterman officiating. A light lunch will follow in the Hobby Room at Good Samaritan. A separate service will be held later in South Dakota to include interment at Pine Lawn Cemetery, Rapid City, South Dakota. Memorial donations can be made to “Joyce Tena Donation Fund” (Good Samaritan Society, 508 W. Trilby Road, Fort Collins, CO 80525). The donations will benefit Good Samaritan life enrichment employee, Joyce Tena, with her ongoing financial burden associated with breast cancer treatment.

Carroll Catherine Fossoy

May 7, 1933 - June 25, 2013