Carolyn Clarinda Vandiver

Carolyn Clarinda Vandiver, 99, passed away quietly in her sleep in the early morning of April 27, 2015 at her Los Alamos, New Mexico home. She was born February 29, 1916 to Alpha and Carrie (Stansberry) Coates in her family’s farm house in Osborne County, Kansas. She was the fourth of seven children having three older sisters and three younger brothers. She grew up playing and helping with the farm chores, preferring that to cooking and sewing that she left to her sisters.


She was a senior in high school when a mysterious fire destroyed the family home. The drought of the early 1930’s and the resulting dust bowl days were more than they could overcome and after losing the farm to the bank the family packed what was left and moved to Los Angeles, California.


Carolyn’s parents took jobs packing dates on the large groves near to Los Angeles. Carolyn enrolled in junior college in a dental assistant program. She also took a job for a greeting card company and later would work in an aircraft manufacturing plant during WWII. She met and married a young pre-med student, Gordon Vandiver, in 1943. Their first child, Donna was born in August of 1944. Gordon graduated med school and they left California for Colorado Springs where he would complete a surgical residency. Dianne was then born in October of 1945.


Carolyn would remain in Colorado Springs while Gordon served the next two years with the occupation troops in Japan. He would return to the United States in February, 1948 and they moved to La Junta Colorado where Gordon opened his medical practice. They bought a home on Colorado Avenue which would require several additions to accommodate their growing family. Steven was born in September, 1950, Sonya in April, 1952 and Jon in December, 1955. Carolyn was a wonderful mother of her five children and many of the neighborhood kids. She also was a huge support to Gordon in his busy medical practice and his invaluable small amount of time away from work.


Their time off was spent exploring the Rocky Mountains and driving every back road in Colorado. Two weeks of every summer would be spent camping initially out of the back of a station wagon pulling a one wheel trailer to finally a more comfortable 5th wheel. They faithfully spent every Wednesday afternoon at the “Ranch” a 10 acre getaway on Adobe Creek east of La Junta where Gordon could tinker and putter around with his antique farm equipment.


Carolyn was a devout Christian studying her bible daily. She volunteered at the hospital and at the church and did handy work for bazaar and craft fairs. Carolyn and Gordon lived 60 years in their home on Colorado Avenue.


Carolyn was 90 when Gordon died in 2006 three days before their 63rd anniversary. She carried on keeping her own home and in 2007 she fulfilled a lifelong dream of taking a cruise with her children to the inside passage to Alaska.

In 2010 Carolyn moved to Los Alamos, NM to live with Dianne for the remainder of her life. While at Dianne’s, Carolyn spent hundreds of hours poring over her many photo albums writing her life story and doing numerous free hand paintings.


Carolyn is survived by her brother, James Coates, five children, Donna (Don) Vandiver Pack, Dianne (Joe Archuleta) Vandiver, Steve Vandiver, Sonya (Bob) Vandiver Richardson and Jon (Nancy) Vandiver, seven grandchildren, David (Holly) Pack, Denise (Sal) D'Antoni, Laurie (Jeff) Vanhook, Jennifer Norris, Kristle Vandiver, Joshua (Henri Valendia) Vandiver and Matt (Sarah) Vandiver, nine great-grandchildren, Bill Stanley, Chase Vanhook, Brooklyn Vanhook, Jason Vanhook, Ashley (Seth) Pack Alongi, Braydon Norris, Paisley Jo Vandiver, Owen Vandiver and Allie Vandiver, two great, great-grandchildren, Sophie Stanley and Dominic Alongi; also survived by many nieces and nephews that she kept in touch with over the years. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Gordon Hesse Vandiver, her parents, Alpha and Carrie Coates, three sisters, Eva Hartzler, June Coates and Sylvia Stehle, two brothers, Earl Coates and Don Coates and a grandson, Jason Vandiver.


In lieu of flower those wishing to may make memorial contributions in Carolyn’s name to the Arkansas Valley Hospice, PO Box 408, La Junta, Colorado, 81050 direct or through funeral home.


Peacock Larsen funeral home and Arkansas Valley crematory is in charge of arrangements.


Funeral services will be Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at the La Junta United Methodist Church with Reverend Tom Dudley of the Cheraw United Methodist Church officiating. Visitation will be Friday, May 1, 2015 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Peacock Memorial Chapel. Interment will be at Fairview Cemetery following service.