Carol Jean LeFavor (Hardy) passed away at age 77 peacefully with her husband at her side on February 27, in her home in Pinehurst, North Carolina, due to complications from Alzheimer’s.

Carol was born on Thursday, January 11, 1945, on the second floor of St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, to Paul J. (age 40) and Cecelia P. Hardy (age 33).

It was at the moment of her birth that she met the first most important man of her life other than her father — Dr.

Spicer.

Dr.

Spicer was the family obstetrician and helped bring her two children into the world on the same floor of the same hospital two decades later.

Carol grew up with her older (by 11 years) sister, Gloria Anne, and her younger (by three years) brother, Timothy Michael.

Gloria was already married and moved out of the house when they tragically lost their mother at age 47, when Carol was only 12 years old.

The young and rambunctious redhead completed her education at Santa Monica High School, graduating in 1963 with a class that included Rick Monday, a future professional ballplayer.

Soon after her graduation, an independent young Carol took a job as switchboard operator at a motel in Venice Beach as well as moved in and shared an apartment with three girlfriends who all became lifelong friends.

Not long after, she met the second important man of her life, Robert Warner “Lukky” Preedin, at a bowling alley, where he got Carol’s attention with his bowling prowess. Family legend is that Bob apparently said, “Watch this” and immediately threw a strike in her honor. They later bowled together in leagues for many years. Carol married Robert on November 6, 1965, at St. Monica’s Cathedral in Santa Monica, California and thus began her time as a homemaker. They had two children during their marriage, Michael Thomas (1966) and Suzette Mari (1969).

They purchased a home in Thousand Oaks to raise their small family and to be close to her sister, Gloria, and their family in neighboring Westlake. They fixed up a little house and grew corn in the backyard. That first house became small quickly and they purchased a new house nearby that was also large enough to accommodate her father as he grew older. Paul Hardy passed away in August of 1976.

Life was enjoyable, but unfortunately the marriage to Robert ended amicably in 1977. Carol took a job with Red Carpet Realty and was able to use that knowledge to purchase her first house as a single mom. This began a lifetime of one success after another when purchasing houses. Carol was a quick learner and always did well in her future real estate purchases.

After getting into the mortgage loan business, she took a job in Colton, California, and commuted from T.O. for many months. She eventually bought a cabin in the mountains in Crestline, California, and moved with the kids out there. While in Crestline, she opened a macrame shop with a friend as a side business. She loved living in the little mountain town.

It was at this point that Carol met the third and most important man of her life, George Edward “Frenchy” LeFavor. While out with the girls at the Howard Johnson’s cocktail lounge on a Friday night, June 13, 1980, she serendipitously met the love of her life. Frenchy was an Army helicopter pilot who happened to be on temporary duty in the area and she adored him immediately. It was a spark that lasted the rest of their lives together. He also happened to be a very good bowler.

Following a whirlwind romance, Frenchy, being the gentleman that he was, asked Michael and Suzette for their permission to seek their mom’s hand in marriage and they happily said yes. This culminated in a wedding that occurred six months later to the day they met. On December 13, 1980, her son Michael proudly gave her away to Frenchy, which created a union that lasted until her final day.

The military life swept the new family to Schwabisch Hall, West Germany for a couple of years — a big change from her whole life having been lived in Southern California. During this time Carol loved being an “officer’s wife,” was proud of her role, and immersed herself into life overseas. She and her family enjoyed Europe, where they got to visit Paris and the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, travel by boat on the Rhine River amongst castles on each shore, visit the Dachau concentration camp, scale the Zugspitze by train, and visit Neuschwanstein Castle, among many other things.

Her next stop was Clarksville, Tennessee, while Frenchy was assigned at Fort Campbell. The family grew larger as Frenchy’s children from his previous marriage, Laurel Anne and Lesley Jean LeFavor, joined to make a family of six in all. She resumed her mortgage loan officer career there and moved into management while working for a local bank or two. She made many dear friends in Tennessee and even picked up a Southern accent. All four children graduated high school in Clarksville and entered into adulthood from there.

Once all the kids were gone and Frenchy had retired from the Army, Carol and Frenchy moved to where it was best suited for his post-military consulting career, to Gig Harbor, Washington; back to Clarksville, Tennessee; for a spell, Pinehurst, North Carolina; and Virginia Beach, Virginia; before finally settling back in Pinehurst. It’s there where they bought their final house together, “The Mayor’s House,” overlooking a lovely nine-hole golf course.

Carol loved taking care of the house and Frenchy while he worked well into his seventies. She loved watching the ducks out on the pond outside the kitchen and dining room windows as well as shopping and dining in old-town Pinehurst.

In her final years, Alzheimer’s incessantly and horribly took her memories away, but it never took our memories of her wonderful life that she shared with us. She was a great wife, friend, and mother to all of her kids and kids’ friends.

Her beautiful smile, laugh, and her love of her husband, Frenchy, family, and extended family/friends is already and will always be missed. Carol was a kick in the pants. Thank you for brightening our lives!

She is survived by her loving husband, George LeFavor; two children, Michael Preedin and Suzette Preedin Tingley; step-daughter, Lesley Yoho; one brother, Timothy Hardy, and one sister, Gloria Ann Gish; two nieces, Kendra Lynn and husband John Steinmeyer and family, and Kathryn Ann Berrend and her children. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Kristen Yoho, Alicia Rapini, Jordan Tingley, and Robert Chandler LeFavor; and four great-grandchildren, Auktober Genzmer, Kyah Delgado, Riley Morgan, and Leonidas LeFavor.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Paul J. Hardy and Cecelia P. Hardy, step-daughter Laurel Anne LeFavor, brother-in-law Richard William Gish, nephew William Fredrick Gish, and niece Kimberly Jean Gish.

No ceremonies are planned. Carol’s ashes will be spread into the Pacific Ocean at some point in the future. Any correspondence with the family can be sent to Michael Preedin, PO Box 2093, Sisters, OR 97759.