Carol Summerhays Bowden

Carol Ellen Summerhays Bowden, age 66 passed away on August 4, 2021, at Intermountain Medical Center after a hard-fought week of battling back after a massive stroke in the early hours of July 28, 2021. She was born on December 21, 1954, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Barbara Raile and Claude E. Summerhays.

Carol “The Chef” was always cooking and creating something amazing to eat and share. Her attention to detail was known far and wide. Whether it was the perfect lettering on the large birthday sugar cookies, the cooked to perfection “Carol‘s Mushrooms” for steaks or her famous “Seven Layered Salad”.

Dining at Carol’s house was always a special event… she was so creative with her table settings using unique china, silver, and stemware combinations, candles galore, napkin folding and a champagne bucket always made you feel like you were on lifestyles of the rich and famous. She was a warm hostess who strived to put you at ease, making you feel right at home. Amidst the fancy silver and china you would also find hidden crystal dishes of gummy bears and a Franzia box of Pinot Grigio.

Holidays and birthdays were always made special due to Carol’s the amazing gift-wrapping. It was on a whole new level. Carol‘s bows would take an entire spool of ribbon… they were pure works of art resembling an origami sculpture. She was also an expert at calligraphy. She would create many of the Birthday cards she would give to family and friends. Carol was an accomplished musician playing piano, guitar, violin, and bass. Family singalongs were always thunderous affairs with her father Claude hammering the piano along with tiny Carol plucking away, standing dwarfed by her bass that was two feet taller than she.

A great deal of her childhood was spent helping to build and enjoying the Summerhays’ cabin located at Soapstone in the Uinta Mountain range just up the highway from Kamas, Utah. Carol learned the names of every wildflower and bird. She then taught her younger sister Nancy to read at the age of 4 so she could share her knowledge and the love of the outdoors.

If you were lucky enough to get to spend time at the Summerhays’ cabin you would often find Carol puttering in the kitchen or find her sitting in front of the large picture window watching the hummingbirds and chipmunks eating at one of the many strategically placed feeders. It was like having your own personal nature show just outside the window. Her family used the cabin year-round whether it was summer hiking and fishing or winter snowmobiling.

Carol started her love for adventure and always trying something new at an early age. Her father Claude traveled a lot with his work for the Union Pacific Railroad. Traveling by train was a little different then, there was a dress code. Dresses, hats and gloves. We’re sure this is where she started her love of fashion. She had a strong fashion sense with clothes, jewelry and accessories, and not forgetting her interior design talents. This later came in to play with college where she graduated from the University of Utah in Fashion Merchandising. During college Carol worked summers at the Old Faithful Lodge gift shop in Yellowstone National Park as part of the summer college youth.

Carol and Chris enjoyed going to Lake Powell with family where they would water and jet ski. Carol loved the water; she especially loved going down the slippery slide of the houseboat over, and over, and over again. Each time with a girlish squeal and an infectious laugh. They also enjoyed cruises through the Panama Canal, Alaska and Mexico. Carol won the prize for eating the most servings of escargot on one cruise. She enjoyed the formal nights, wine tastings and learning about new cultures, flora, and recipes.

Carol met Chris through Chris’ sister NancyEllen. They worked together at Trolley Square where they quickly became best friends. NancyEllen invited Carol to one of her family’s water-skiing outings. It was love at first sight for Chris. The three of them soon started to go disco dancing on the weekends at the Thirteenth Floor or Prohibition Clubs. That quickly turned in to just the two of them, as they started dating. After that, you would rarely ever see one without the other. Anyone could see that they truly loved and adored each other. They shared a successful forty-one years of marriage and partnership.

Carol designed and maintained a beautiful demonstration greenhouse in her backyard and relished growing tropical plants summer and winter. She was one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet. To her however, she could never understand why what she had just said or asked was making the room explode with laughter.

Carol was one of the most compassionate and non-assuming persons you’d ever meet. She was relentless at trying to make people comfortable and situations better, even if it meant that it would result in a hardship for herself. In the forty-three years that Chris was lucky enough to call her his, they had three arguments, two of those were before they were married. She tried so hard at things. You could never be mad at her or raise your voice to that kind gentle soul.

In later years she lived through two bad strokes in which she lost the sight in her left eye twice. With the help of Dr. Jarrod Davies (Utah Vision Development Center) --- and vision Therapist DaNelle Hackney, she unbelievably regained her sight both times and was cleared to start driving. She also overcame liver and cancer maladies through the years and was given a clean bill of health from cancer right before she passed away.

We would like to thank Dr. Todd Nelson, and everyone at Intermountain Medical Center, Liver Clinic, Neurology Department, Emergency Department, and the Neuro-ICU for helping Carol through the years and this final past week. Your expertise and compassion meant everything to us.

We will miss her cute greeting of “Hey….” and the mischief twinkle in her eyes, her constant teasing Chris, her devotion to family and friends and the joy and light you would always experience whenever she was near. Love you Sis---.

Carol is survived by her husband Chris, sister-in-law NancyEllen and Timothy Regier, brother-in-law James and Bobette Bowden, nieces Whitney Bowden and Vien Chantharath, Emily and Ryan Fenton and their son Beckham. Also missing Carol is her dog Bailey and her 125-pound Sulcata Tortise, Gandolfo the Great (Gander), and every hummingbird she could coax into the yards. She was preceded in her passing by her parents and sister Nancy Summerhays.

Carol will be buried next to her parents and sister at the Salt Lake City Cemetery on the corner of Cypress Avenue and 230 North.

A public visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 25,2021, at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 E. Dimple Dell Road (10600 S.) in Sandy, Utah from the hours of 6:00-8:00 pm.

Family and Friends may join the family for graveside services on Thursday, August 26,2021, at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, Cypress Avenue and 230 North at 11:00 am.

For those not able to attend the services in person, a Zoom link and stream will be provided at www.larkincares.com. You will need to have your own Zoom account to view the services.

We would like to invite all to please attend a Celebration of Life for Carol on Monday, September 20, 2021, at Le Jardin at The Rose Shop, 1910 E. Dimple Dell Road (10600 S.) in Sandy, Utah from 6:00-8:00 pm. Hope to see all of Chris’ and Carol’s Family and Friends there that evening to celebrate a such a wonderful and unforgettable friend to all.

For more information about Services and Celebration of Life event, and to leave memories and condolences for Chris and the family, please visit www.larkincares.com.