Carol Alma Francis (Proudfoot) Couch
February 26, 1917 - December 26, 2008
Carol Couch died peacefully on December 26, 2008, at Castleview Care Centre in Castlegar. She was born on February 26, 1917, in Nelson, BC, the fifth child of David Henry Proudfoot and Ruth Hildur Proudfoot, both Nelson pioneers. Her siblings were Edith (Smith), Ruth Genevieve (Clarke), David, James, and Robert. With Carol’s death and interment in the Proudfoot family plot, all the family will be together again in Nelson. She is survived by a niece, Heather Sigworth, a great-niece, Rosalind Garcia, a great-nephew, George Sigworth, and two great-great-nieces, Mariel and Alison, all of Arizona.
Carol attended school in British Columbia, but started teaching in rural Alberta, under difficult depression circumstances. She loved children, worked hard earning her advanced credentials and came back to BC to teach in Nelson, eventually becoming the Art teacher at Stanley Humphries Secondary School in Castlegar. Here she met Tommy Couch, whom she married in 1962, and who predeceased her.
Her many, many friends and former students will mourn the loss of her enthusiasm and talents. Carol was a painter in several media, an experimental etcher, a photographer of landscape and architecture, a ceramicist, and a knowledgeable critic of all those arts. She travelled extensively in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe, where she collected works of artists and artisans. She also acquired works of local artists and artisans, including those of her own students.
Carol was a member of the United Church, numerous professional organizations, the Eastern Star, and Beta Sigma Phi. She made many contributions to these organizations and to her school throughout her long life.
She enjoyed living independently until her last year, during which she was cared for at Castleview Care Centre. The family wishes to thank the many friends and neighbours who cheered Carol in these often difficult times, including Harvey and Patti Batting, Evelyn Flodell, Ev Clarke and Kris and Larry Stanbra. We also appreciate the affectionate and professional care of the Castleview staff.
A Celebration of Life for Carol will be held at the Castlegar United Church, 809 Merrycreek Road, Castlegar, BC, on Monday, January 12, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. Refreshments will be served immediately after the service in the lower level of the church. Interment will be in the Nelson Municipal Cemetery at 2:00 p.m.