Carol Ochoa

Carol Ochoa passed away peacefully on October 12 at 11:00 p.m., surrounded by family. Carol maintained her love of family, kindness and compassion throughout her life of 84 years. She could be described as abundantly caring, thoughtful, and fun-loving. She had 4 loves- Love of family, Love of animals, Love of dancing, and Love of Jehovah.

The old saying "never met a stranger" fit Carol to a T. She could strike up a conversation with those she encountered. The conversation would always center around her children, grandchildren and of course her animals. Her warmth and compassion affected everyone and everything she touched.

Carol was born in Wisconsin and came from a large Irish family. Her grandmother, Martha Odell helped Carol's mother, Ruth, to raise her. Carol was the eldest of five children. Her younger siblings were Ramon, Tony, Gregory, Ricky, and Sandy.

Carol met Fransisco Ochoa at a dance hall and they shared a love of dancing. They enjoyed dancing to Spanish music. They married in December 1959. They had 5 children: Armando, Alejandro, Aliza, Angela, and Anita. The family lived for several years in different parts of Illinois and moved to Cleburne, Texas in 1978 where she lived the remainder of her life.

Carol's family continued to grow with many grandchildren. Her son Alejandro gave her two grandchildren- Amethyst and Austin. Aliza, her oldest daughter, had five grandchildren- Nina, Joshua, Zachariah, Frank, and Isaiah. Her middle daughter, Angela, had two grandchildren- Dakota and Dylan. Carol's family kept expanding with the addition of 16 great grandchildren- Gabriela, Nathan, Isabella, Ty, Arwen, Adrik, Marvel, Ireland Rose, Magnus, Titan, Bryce, Austin, Makensie, Preston, Jackson, and Kade. She was blessed with one great great grandchild- Olivia.

Carol was a large part of the lives of her grandchildren. If there was a basketball, volleyball, football, or baseball game, she was there cheering them on. She would also attend school functions like grandparents' day, school plays, band concerts, and award ceremonies. Her grandchildren felt the love and pride she had for each and every one of them.

Carol loved animals and lived on a farm for years. Farm life suited her well and it was a wonderful place for her grandchildren to come and visit. On the farm, she had a menagerie of animals. She had the normal farm stock like peacocks, guinea hens, chickens, goats, pigs, cattle, dogs, cats (many, many cats), and horses. But she did not stop there. Carol would take in a wild animal in need in a heartbeat. She also had two raccoons, a squirrel, skunk, and an armadillo. Some of her favorites were Arnie, the pot-bellied pig, Sabu, the Brahma bull, and her horse, Dolly.

Throughout her life, Carol was a spiritual person. She was baptized as one of Jehovah's witnesses in 1970 and remained faithful till her death. Her love for her God, Jehovah, and for people moved her to pioneer, visit people in their homes and study the bible with them. Carol's hope is to be resurrected and live here on a paradise earth.

She lived by a quote she had on a chalkboard in her house, "Do something nice for someone today and someone will do something nice for you." Anyone who had the pleasure of meeting Carol agrees that she was one of a kind, a woman who would give you her last dime, and who had a vibrant fulfilling life. She will be missed immensely by her family and friends.