Carolyn Stenfors

Born September 3, 1949, in Santa Barbara, California, a daughter of William Alton and Carrie (Johnson) Andrews, Carolyn was raised in Oxnard, California where she graduated from high school. One of her first work experiences was employment as a hostess for a local restaurant and as a custodian for the Camarillo State Hospital. In 1968, Carolyn met Bruce ‘Gus’ Stenfors, who was currently serving in the US Navy and stationed in California. On April 19, 1969, Carolyn married the love of her life, Bruce, at the Church of Christ. Following Gus’s honorable discharge, the couple made their first home in Oxnard and began raising a family. The family relocated to Skandia in 1979 and Negaunee in 1980. During this time, Carolyn held various employments at the K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base Hospital, Bell Memorial Hospital, and the Acocks Medical Care Facility as a custodian, and finally at the Marquette County Medical Care Facility as a nurses aide. Another move came in 1999 when the couple moved to Waverly, Tennessee, where she again worked as a nurses aide for a Humphreys County Nursing Home, until her retirement in 2014. The final move came in 2019 when Gus and Carolyn returned to the Upper Peninsula and settled in Ishpeming.

Carolyn dearly loved her family and enjoyed her roles of wife, mom, homemaker, and especially grandma. In her leisure, she liked to quilt, sew, and garden. Her Christian faith was very important to her and she depended upon it to bring her through some of her toughest times. In Waverly, she and Gus were members of the First United Pentecostal Church, and later, Calvary Church in Negaunee.

Carolyn is survived by her son, William (Amanda) Stenfors of Negaunee, and their children, Alaina (Trent Minier), Luke (Lindsay Williams), and Caitlin (Andrew Perrault) Stenfors; daughter, Sandra (Cary) Lincoln of Negaunee and their children, Nicholas (Ashleigh Beauchamp) Sharon, and Nicole (KC) Lincoln; daughter, Sherry (Stacy Hammond) Stenfors of Gwinn and their children, Tiffany (Cole) Seelen and Brody Hammond; son-in-law, Wallace Wilder of Negaunee and his children, Frederick, Carrie, and Michael (Merrie) Wilder; great-grandchildren, Axell Gravedoni, Hazel Gravedoni, Abigail Seelen, Harlow Seelen, Grayson Paquette, Emily Wilder and Alex Wilder; her brothers-in-law, Robert (Cheryl) Stenfors of Escanaba and Ron (Vonnie) Stenfors of Skandia; a sister-in-law, Joanne Bishop of Waverly, TN; numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Bruce ‘Gus’ Stenfors; a daughter, Pamela Wilder; a grandson, Steven Stenfors; and brothers, Perry Andrews and Alfred Bishop.

The family will receive relatives and friends at Fassbender Swanson Hansen Funeral and Cremation Services on Thursday, May 1, beginning at 10:00 am until the time of service at 12:00 noon. Bishop E. R. Crider will officiate A reception will follow in the funeral home reception room. Private family interment will be made in the Negaunee Cemetery.

Condolences may be expressed online at fassbenderswansonhansen.com