Carolyn Doris Hewes passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and love on October 18, 2022. Born Carolyn Meagher August 25th, 1940, to Doris and Carroll Meagher. Carolyn was the middle child in a family of three daughters. Beverly, five years older, and Christine, born twelve years after Carolyn. The three sisters grew up in the San Francisco neighborhood of Parkside in the parish of St. Cecilia where they attended grammar school. Their street was full of children and family street parties and celebrations where Christmas traditions included every home lit up with Holiday lights. It was during those parties Carolyn honed her life-long skill at mixing a festive Tom and Jerry.
Carolyn was proud of her family history and honored to be the daughter of a “rag man”. Her father was the third-generation owner of James Meagher’s Sons, founded in 1869 and continuing for over 100 years. They provided wiping materials for machinery.
Carolyn attended Mercy High School, in San Francisco, and College of Notre Dame in Belmont. She earned her degree in Social Welfare and became a juvenile probation officer in San Mateo County. One of her assignments was to pick up a child at Alcatraz Island during the Native American occupation there in 1970. Carolyn was small and petite but fearless and could handle herself in any difficult or tense situation that arose from her professional duties.
Carolyn was also a fearless adventurer, never missing a chance to ski, hike, or travel to a far-off land. She met Hal Hewes on a ski trip to Sun Valley Idaho in 1968 where she and friends hitched a ride on a friend’s plane from the Bay Area. The pilot was not instrument trained so Carolyn, as a passenger, helped him navigate by using a map and followed the interstate highways by looking out the window. As luck and the grace of God would have it, they landed safely, she met Hal, and after a week on the slopes they were married on Feb. 15, 1969.
Hal and Carolyn took off for Europe for their honeymoon where they bought a VW van and traveled the continent. They shipped the van to the East Coast and extended their honeymoon with a trip across the country visiting friends, family and creating more memories across the country.
After returning to the Bay Area and working, Carolyn and Hal bought a remote cabin in La Honda, nestled in the coastal Redwoods. The cabin was a project that brought the whole family together as they hauled in building materials and brought a near “tear down” back to rustic glory. Carolyn and Hal called the cabin, “Our Masterpiece!” Many years of wonderful family gatherings happened in that cabin and it was a destination even after Carolyn and Hal moved to the mountains.
Getting to their new mountain home was another adventure and a leap of faith for Carolyn and Hal. They wanted to start a new life in a small community so they loaded up the van and headed north searching for home. Armed with a topographical map of California, they visited many beautiful valleys but nothing clicked. Discouraged, they had one more place on their list, Scott Valley. Driving over Forest Mountain, seeing that glorious panorama for the first time, and finding the perfect old Victorian home in Fort Jones, all in the space of a couple days, they knew they found home.
The Victorian house on Glendenning Road was another project that kept Carolyn and Hal busy, especially as their family grew. Son Jesse was adopted in 1980 and Andy was welcomed in 1983. With two little boys, Carolyn and Hal threw themselves into the thrilling adventure of parenthood. In addition to all the kids’ activities and school, the family traveled all over the country, hiking, fishing, skiing, as well as constantly working on the house where the doors were open to friends, family and lots of animals, including Carolyn’s donkeys and peacock..
During this time Carolyn worked as a counselor for Siskiyou County schools where she helped hundreds of young people navigate their lives, always encouraging and always there if she was needed. She especially enjoyed her commute over Etna Summit to the Salmon River schools. She would always stop at the top, take in the view and marvel that she was blessed to “work” there.
Carolyn was also an accomplished musician, a fiddle player and singer who never missed a chance to get together with friends to play. Over the years she played with Marmalade, The Vagaries, the Wingettes, The Highly Paid Professionals and many more. She sang with the Sacred Heart Catholic Church choir for decades; her harmonies will be missed by her friends in the choir. She was in a knitting group where there was more talking than knitting and a hiking group where they hiked all over the State of Jefferson. She had friends from all walks of life and she kept up with them. She took regular trips to Puerto Vallarta, and also visited Nepal, Europe, and much of the United States. Her list of friends is long and she loved them all.
Carolyn and Hal divorced but remained lifelong best friends. Never one to shy away from a big project, Carolyn built her final home on North Kidder Creek road. She designed and oversaw every deck and doorknob and filled it with treasures from every season of her life. She loved her time there.
Her greatest joy was building solid loving relationships with her two grandchildren. Paige Hewes (Jesse Hewes and Melissa Marmon) and Ridge Hewes (Andy and Clare Hewes) brought her great joy and many new adventures.
Carolyn was preceded in death by her parents and sister Beverly and brother-in-law Bernie Paulsen. She will be lovingly remembered by her sister Chris, ex-husband Hal, and family, Andy, Clare, Ridge, Jesse, and Paige and all their extended families as well. She will be missed by hundreds of friends and acquaintances whose lives she touched. She told you the truth. You may not have liked it, but she was usually right.
Come celebrate Carolyn’s light and life at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Fort Jones, Saturday December 3rd. The service is at 2pm and the party will follow at the parish hall across the street. In lieu of flowers, donations made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society c/o Sacred Heart would be appreciated. Bring stories, music and let’s send Carolyn off with a real angel band!
Posted online on November 21, 2022
Published in Siskiyou Daily News