Carol Louise Kinney

What is the measuring stick used to define a heroine? By most traditional standards, my mother, Carol Kinney, might have assuredly failed the test. She rarely graced the local society page; instead, her community involvement centered on charities, the infirmed and disabled, church activities, and other underserved areas where she recognized a need. 

She nurtured her love of family, friends, and community with an indefatigable determination. When pursuing their own social outlets, my father and mother valued their dance group, bridge clubs, an occasional party to celebrate milestone events of friends, and family-based activities ranging from holiday picnics to somewhat infrequent but memorable coast-to-coast vacations by car.

Carol Louise Kinney was born and raised in a small farming community in northern Wisconsin.

She decided early on that education was the bedrock of a society and became a teacher. She met my father at the University of Wisconsin, where he was finishing his master’s degree in education. They were married for fifty-two years until my father succumbed to heart disease in 1988.

After my father’s death, we were consumed with worry as to how my mother could cope without her best friend and soulmate of so many years. But she demonstrated an amazing resiliency to move on with her life and to explore new avenues that were never a part of her married partnership. She became actively committed to local volunteer organizations such as Causeway, PEO, and several others, and as such became a tireless volunteer for meals-on-wheels, a caregiver to other older, single women who were housebound or in the care of nursing homes—whatever was needed. Church Women United brought new friendships and experiences, involving travel to all parts of the country, learning firsthand the beauty of other cultures and backgrounds. Carol Kinney was on a spiritual mission with the time she had left and serving others was at the top of her “bucket list.”

Looking back as adult children, we can only marvel at the wisdom that she imparted to our lives without the benefit of a PhD or similar academic achievement. The life-long lessons she instilled in her four kids were not teachable in a classroom. Instead, they grew out of the normal ups and downs of a modest upbringing—one that was morally based, ethically centered, and spiritually grounded.

In the eyes of her children and extended family, she exemplifies what being a heroine is all about. Her achievements were not the stuff of headlines but rather are remembered by the not-forgotten acts of kindness and caring shown others. As a widow for twelve fully enriched years, she kept her focus on this accelerated journey and touched so many lives along the way. 

In the days following her death on November 18, 2000, no newspaper reporters rushed to scoop this story, the local TV stations continued their uninterrupted programming, and life went on as usual in most places. But, on November 24, in the small Midwestern town of La Crosse, Wisconsin, the First Congregational Church was filled to capacity. There were the many friends in attendance who had known our mother for years but there were also a number of people who were unfamiliar to the family and whom we learned came to honor her for their own personal reasons.

So, who are the heroines we celebrate in this walk? Certainly, this tribute includes those women who have earned distinction through high achievement. Others being honored undoubtedly include women of notable families and ancestry. And, perhaps there’s another category; the unsung group of women who day-in and day-out personified the kind of grace and dignity that helped keep the rudder of our society on the right course. They are well-known to so many people throughout our great country who were the recipients of their acts of kindness when the world appeared not to care.

My mother, Carol Louise Kinney, was one of these heroines. Her legacy is sealed in the personal time capsule of her family, friends, and many others, as the blueprint for a life well-served. We lovingly remember!

Written by Dan, her son