Caroline Wheeler Sawyer was born in New York City on December 17, 1928, to Harold Alden Wheeler and Ruth Gregory Wheeler, and spent her childhood in Great Neck, Long Island. After graduating from Middlebury College, she went west, to Santa Barbara, California, where she lived all her days, ever glad for the beauty she found here. She raised five children while managing the family business. A true naturalist (before it was fashionable to be one), she loved animals and rocks and plants, and thrived on her curiosity about all living things. She was the best friend we ever had, the kindest person we knew, always there to listen and bring out the best in us, with never a critical word. This is the memory she leaves with us. She lived her life with grace and integrity … and died peacefully on January 6, 2019, just after her 90th birthday. We will miss her,
so very much.
Of her five children, she is survived by: Wendy (Rick) Foster, Washington; Debora Mower, Texas; Harold (Tina) Guild, Santa Barbara; Lily Guild (Mark R. Collins), Santa Barbara … and by her niece, 3 nephews, 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She will also be missed by her dear friend Al Meckleborg.
We are deeply grateful to our friends at Maravilla, and Assisted Hospice Care, for helping us to bring her joy and comfort in those last months and hours of her life.
