Carol Ann Mattina

12/11/42 – 12/26/21

On December 26, 2021, Carol Mattina died peacefully in her sleep in Broomfield Colorado, after navigating Alzheimer’s for nearly eight years. She was 79 years old.

At age 5, Carol entered Notre Dame de Sion (which she sourly referred to as “the convent”). There she bloomed as a student and an athlete. An avid swimmer and diver, Carol qualified as an “eighteen foot swimmer” in 1950. She was a member of the Figure Skating Association, and the PGA National Junior Golf Club. 

At 13, Carol entered Barstow School for Girls, where she studied for five years. She was elected president of her class her sophomore year, and graduated in 1960.

Carol went on to get a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas and later another Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (with a minor in Psychology and Anthropology). An Honor Role Student, Carol graduated in 1964.

Carol married Anthony Mattina in December, 1964 in Lawrence Kansas, and they had their daughter, Lori, in September of 1965.

Six months later Carol moved into Menninger’s in Topeka, Kansas for treatment. She embraced psychotherapy and art therapy, developing her skills as talented artist in many different media. She was there just under a year.

Carol and Tony divorced soon after, but Carol spent every summer and Christmas with her daughter.

Carol worked at the Topeka State Hospital as an Activity Therapist, then as Supervisor. She completed her Masters in Adult Education at Kansas State University in 1973, and became a registered Art Therapist in 1974. She was an instructor for the Washburn University Mental Health Worker Program in Topeka, Kansas in 1974, and for the Kansas State Nurses’ Association in 1975.

Carol met Tom Lane, a co-worker at Topeka State Hospital, and they married in 1982.

Carol always loved and had cats, which led her to breed Birmans professionally in the 1980’s and 1990’s. She and her “warm fuzzies” brought home many ribbons and awards over the years.

Carol and Tom lived in Topeka, Kansas for a few years, then quit their jobs in the mental health industry and moved to Crested Butte, Colorado. Carol’s brother, Allen, had the famous Nordic Inn there, and she joined him as co-inkeeper, and later co-owner.

Carol enjoyed reading, stained-glass, wood-carving, cross-stitch, off-road jeeping, and hunting for rocks and minerals.

Carol also worked at Three Seasons Condominiums as an accountant, where her coworker friends loved her “wicked sense of humor”, and shared a common interest in stock trading– which she excelled at.

Carol and Tom divorced a number of years later, and Carol began to explore the New Age movement in depth. She began to meditate, explore altered states, Tarot and the I Ching, building a huge metaphysical library. Carol spent two years channeling for groups and individuals, and participated in a psychic fair.

Carol moved to Boulder, Colorado in the early 1990’s where she continued her new age and psychotherapy studies, earning a Masters of Transpersonal Psychology at Boulder Graduate School in 1993, (technically the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Menlo Park, CA).

Carol eventually moved to Lafayette in her mountain-view dream home. She enjoyed reading, journaling, sculpting, crystals, collecting gems, and regularly going to gem shows and psychic fairs.

Carol also enjoyed going to the theater, which she often did with her friends, daughter and her brother and his wife Judy, (who was also a childhood friend of Carol’s).

During the last four years of her life, Carol lived at Sunrise Flatirons memory care in Broomfield, Colorado, where everyone knew and loved her.

Carol is dearly loved and missed.

Carol’s wishes were to be cremated. No funeral or memorial service is immediately planned. The family will notify loved ones in the future if/when a celebration of life is scheduled.

Carol spent the last few years of her life dealing with Alzheimers disease. If you would like to help with Alzheimer’s research, consider making a donation to the Potter Fund at the University of Colorado, or to the Alzheimers Association, which provided ongoing support and training for Lori as her caregiver over the years.

https://giving.cu.edu/fund/potter-alzheimers-disease-fund

https://www.alz.org