Carole Lewis Bledsoe

Carole Lewis Bledsoe was born September 19, 1942, in Moultrie, Georgia, and passed away September 16, 2021, in Prescott, Arizona.  She was the daughter of Robert Emmett Lewis and Doris Horton Lewis.  She was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother, Gerald Wayne Lewis.  She is survived by her husband, Adolphus H. Bledsoe Jr; her son Jeffry Michael Bledsoe, and wife Leslie of Naples, Florida; her son Christopher Lewis Bledsoe, and wife Carolyn, of Roseville, California; her daughter Melanie Bledsoe Bennett, and husband Jason, of Anthem, Arizona; brother Michael Robert Lewis of Bradenton, Florida; grandchildren Cory Brian Bledsoe, and wife Catina, of Shelby Township, Michigan;  Lauren Quinn Bledsoe of Naples, Florida; David James Bledsoe, of Portland, Oregon; Eric Christopher Bledsoe, of Butte, Montana; Greta Hadley Bennett and Hannah Ray Bennett, of Anthem Arizona; great-grandchildren Aubrey Bledsoe and Lillian Bledsoe of Shelby Township, Michigan; several nieces and nephews, and many good friends.

Following her graduation from Moultrie High School, Carole attended Valdosta State College (now University) where she earned her BS in Education in three years by going to classes year-round.

In August of 1962 she married her husband, a Lieutenant stationed at Moody Air Force Base, and began a life of many moves within the United States and overseas.  She was a full-time wife and mother, and part-time high school English teacher, for the next 23 years, living in Georgia; Texas; Florida; Washington State; California; Virginia; Bogotá, Colombia, and back to California.  During this time she raised three wonderful children, served as a mentor to young Air Force wives when her husband was a squadron commander, and bravely served as an unofficial and unpaid, but very effective, diplomat and intelligence collector in Bogotá at the height of the Colombian drug wars.  She and her husband were not Spanish speakers before undergoing training at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, but her Colombian friends loved her “Southern Belle” accented Spanish.

When her husband retired from the Air Force in 1985, they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she resumed her education career as a substitute English teacher.  In 1989 they moved again, to Renton, Washington, and Carole became a sales consultant for Recreational Equipment Incorporated.  This was popular with the kids, who were always eager to go with her to the REI store for nice employee discounts.

In 1999 her husband retired for the second time and they moved to Prescott, Arizona, where they fell in love with the area and its people and finally found their permanent home.  Carole became involved in volunteer activities and made many friends among co-workers and neighbors.

Carole had many accomplishments, but she was proudest of her success as a mother, and loved to brag about her children and grandchildren, all of whom she loved dearly.

Ruffner-Wakelin Funeral Home in Prescott is handling final arrangements.  The funeral service will be at the Prescott National Cemetery on Friday, October 15 at 1:00 PM.  A Celebration of Life will be held at the Marina Room of the Hassayampa Hotel on Saturday, October 16, from 3:30 to 6:00 PM.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Sharlot Hall Museum or to the Salvation Army, or to the charity of your choice.