Lasting Memories

Carolyn Lorraine Sawatzky
April 10, 1937-Jan. 11, 2019
Pleasanton, California

On Friday, January 11, 2019, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease, Carolyn (Carol) Lorraine Sawatzky, formerly of Pleasanton, California passed away peacefully; she was 81 years old. Carol is survived by her husband of 64 years, Eugene (Gene) Sawatzky, daughter Melonie Washburn and her husband, Stephen of Webster, Massachusetts, daughter Jacqueline Windle and her husband, Thomas of Stockton, California, daughter Robin Bogoshian and her husband, Matthew of San Francisco, California. Also surviving are her seven grandchildren, Lynn Ellen of Hayward and her husband, Taylor, Marissa Washburn and her fiance, Jeff Pfaffinger, Matthew Wipfli, Daniel Wipfli, Zachary Bogoshian and his wife, Lauren, Benjamin Bogoshian and Gabrielle Bogoshian. Carol was born in San Juan Bautista, California to John and Ellen Acosta on April 10, 1937. She was the fifth of 10 children, and when she was young, her family moved to San Andreas, California, where she attended grade school, middle school and Calaveras High School. While in high school, Carol fell in love with and married Gene Sawatzky. They met at the Calaveras County Frog Jumping Jubilee, and over the years, family attendance at the “Frog Jump” proved to be a source of great joy for both Gene and Carol and their three girls. The adventure of Gene and Carol’s great love affair led them to settle, raise their daughters, and live in the same Pleasanton, California home for over fifty years. While Gene worked for decades at Pleasanton ReadyMix and did odd jobs to build security for the family, Carol was a devoted wife, community and church volunteer, local school employee, homemaker, mother, and friend to many. She will be deeply missed. Services for Carolyn will be at Graham Hitch Mortuary in Pleasanton on Monday, February 18, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a contribution to the Parkinson’s Foundation. www.parkinsons.org (Tribute Gift)