Carol Lee (St. Clair) Stratton
Obituary
Carol Lee Stratton, 89, formerly of Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, died in Napa, California on September 11, 2022. A third-generation Californian, Carol was born on May 11, 1933 in San Francisco to Percival and Clara St. Clair (nee Allen). Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the family moved to a farm on Dry Creek in Healdsburg that had been in the Allen family since 1856. After graduating from Healdsburg High School, Carol took a job as a telephone operator in Healdsburg.
Carol was introduced to Bob Stratton, a Submariner from Pennsylvania who was on leave in Healdsburg with a shipmate. Wedded 5 weeks later on July 4, 1952, Carol and Bob were married for 58 years until Bob's death in 2011. The couple eventually settled in Santa Rosa where they raised three boys. In Santa Rosa she volunteered as a Teacher's Aide and worked at Sears Roebuck and Wells Fargo Mortgage Company. After retiring, Carol became very involved with the Community Club of Roseland.
Carol made her Cursillo de Cristiandad in 1977, remaining heavily involved in the Cursillo movement for the next three decades. She was one of the founders of the Redwood Empire Cursillo group, and later embraced the Kairos movement, ministering to inmates at San Quentin for more than 20 years.
Carol will be remembered for her lived values of inclusion, caring and service to others, her gardening skills and for all of the wonderful recipes she passed down to her sons!
The family is grateful to the wonderful, caring staffs at Nazareth Care of Sonoma and Napa, to long-time friend and caregiver Percy Malone, and to Santa Rosa's Fijian community.
Carol was preceded in death by her husband, Bob, and son, Brian. She is survived by younger sister Mary Wollenbecker of San Pablo; sons Tim (Suzanne Wasilczuk) of Duluth, Minnesota, and Bob (Stacy) of Santa Rosa; daughter-in-law Pia of Oregon, three grandsons and four great granddaughters.
No funeral service will be held. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Redwood Empire Cursillos, P.O Box 6332, Santa Rosa, CA 95406.
To all whom Carol knew and loved, and to those who loved her, De Colores.
Published in Healdsburg Tribune · September 20, 2022