Carol May Strouse
May 8, 1935 -
Mar 20, 2020
Longtime Palmer, Alaska, resident Carol May Strouse, 84, died on March 20, 2020, at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash. She was laid to rest at Pioneer Cemetery in May 2020.
A service will be held at St. John's Lutheran Church in Palmer on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, at 1 p.m. A dessert reception immediately following. We ask that you wear your favorite Carol colors and patterns!
Mom was born on May 8, 1935, in Chester, S.D. She was the fifth of seven siblings born to Ray and Carrie Torgerson. She graduated in 1953 from Boulder High School, where she met her first husband Jerry LaWalter. They came to Palmer in January 1954.
Mom and dad spent the next 25 years in Palmer and commercial fishing on Kalgin Island. Mom worked at Valley Hospital, Matanuska Electric Association and Palmer High School. Working at Palmer High as an administrative secretary was her favorite role in life, and she retired after 17 years.
Mom married Dan Strouse in 1981, who also worked at PHS. Upon both retiring from the Mat-Su School District, they built and operated the Homestead RV Campground. Mom sold the campground in 2002, two years after Dan had passed. She was a strong-willed woman!
Mom married Huey Trumps in 2003. They spent their years travelling and living between Palmer and Surprise, Ariz. Hugh passed after mom in October 2020 in Lafayette, La.
Mom was the most caring mother one could ever have. She loved to entertain and cook for family and friends. We will miss her home cooked meals tremendously. She loved Alaska, her community, her family, her friends and her church.
She is survived by daughter, Becky Hannaman; son, Greg LaWalter (Karel); grandchildren, Jakob Zaborac (Erin), Cheyenne Hannaman, Allen LaWalter (Samantha) and Kaitlyn Machacek (Nathan); great-grandchildren, Zoey, Connor and Cooper Zaborac; her "best friend forever," George Hermon (Dona); and many nieces, nephews and friends all over the world.
In lieu of flowers, consider donating to some of mom's favorite organizations: St. John's Lutheran Church, Palmer Historical Society, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, National Multiple Sclerosis Society or Alzheimer's Association.
