Carol Politsch

At a different time in her life, Carol would often say: "You know what makes God laugh? Tell Him your plans." Well, my plan was to grow old with my sisters. But on April 21, 2015, my sister, Carol, changed the plan. She strayed from the path. She forged ahead without us, without me.

All my life she was at least 14 months ahead of me, at everything. She was my window into the near future. She plowed the road ahead of me, cleared it of many obstacles and generally made my journey so much easier. I am the luckiest brother in the world.

I'll bet as she moved out beyond this paper-thin existence she was greeted by our father, Earl, and my wife's father, Frank, and a host of animals that she loved and lost here on Earth. I'm sure she will spend some time catching up. And then, knowing Carol, she'll probably volunteer for an exhausting list of guardian angel duties. In her spare time, she will likely change out the wallpaper, add a splash of color here and hang some pictures there - generally make Heaven not so.. eh.

Carol was born in St. Louis on March 10, 1962. She graduated from Lindbergh High School and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Kansas School of Nursing in 1984. In 2011, she became an Adult-Gerontological Nurse Practitioner and received her Master of Science in Nursing. Her business cards had an insane amount of letters after her name.

She worked as a staff nurse in Coronary Care and Cardiac Rehab. She was a nurse manager, an office nurse (OB/GYN), a clinical research coordinator, an adjunct instructor for senior nursing students at Avila University and an Adult Nurse Practitioner.

Carol enjoyed a good margarita (you might say she was an enthusiast), and her relationship with Mexican food was one of unconditional love. She liked to sit in the sun, listen to Maroon 5, look at Adam Levine, snuggle with her dogs and laugh with friends and family. She was a serious goofball. She attended two Michael Bublé concerts and swooned when he passed her row. She loved watching Jayhawks basketball. She believed strongly in universal health care. She was pro choice. She wasn't an angry person, until someone abused an animal. She believed in marriage equality and a person's right to choose whom they love. She believed in love, plain and simple, above all else.

Most importantly, Carol was a wonderful and caring mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She cared more for others than she cared for herself. To a fault. It simply wasn't in her nature to hold her problems above those of someone else. Her life was an evolution of spirit. And, she loved the ride.

In October 2013, Carol was diagnosed with Ductule and Inflammatory Breast Cancer. It was aggressive. She asked for aggressive treatment or as she called it "the full-court press." She was tough as a two-dollar steak. If she hadn't gone into nursing, she certainly could have had a long and successful career in MMA. Through it all, she always managed a smile and laughter and optimism despite the skin on her chest and back becoming raw and tender from radiation and her entire system growing more and more depleted by chemo and other medications. The cancer never won, and the harsh treatments never broke her will.

Carol will be cremated. My plan is to combine her ashes with those of her predeceased pets and then rehydrate the mix to create some super-beast-human of unconditional love with an unbreakable will and zest for life. Then I'll unleash it on the world. Or maybe we'll just sprinkle her somewhere special. It's your call, Carol. Let me know.

Carol was preceded in death by her father (Earl), a menagerie of pets and both boobs. She is survived by her mother (Doris), her sister (Karen), me and my wife (Kent and Beth), her son (Collin), her niece (Allison), her shiny, new nephew (Isaac), her chihuahua (Lola) and her pungent but effervescent puggle (Seth).

In lieu of flowers, Carol's family asks that you make a donation to the Cancer Research Foundation or Animal Haven. Or you could simply stop to help a stray animal get back home, or do a random act of kindness for some less-fortunate soul.

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