Carol Lee Barron

Carol Lee Barron went home to be with our Lord and Savior on October 1, 2020. Shortly after skiing in Idaho and Montana and climbing waterfalls in Maui this past January through March, Carol was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease known as Scleroderma. One month later, renal failure set in resulting in dependency on kidney dialysis and hopes for a transplant. Less than one week after learning that she was not healthy enough to undergo the transplant surgery, Carol suffered a pulmonary cardiac arrest which, in conjunction with complications from the Scleroderma, ultimately lead to her passing.

Carol was born January 26, 1952 at Alameda Naval hospital and was raised as a self-proclaimed Navy brat, a moniker she shared with her sister Gail. Carol was very proud of her father William Terry for his dedication to this country as a survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack while working aboard the USS Nevada. Carol learned the gift of hospitality from her mother Patricia who would welcome other service members to join the Terry family holiday meals at their home so that they did not spend those times alone.

Carol shared a very full and active life with her husband Brad her four children, Adam Dietz, Sara Hunt, Emily Scott and Ashley Barron and her seven grandchildren. These people meant the world to Carol, just as Carol did to each of them. She was incredibly proud of her children, primarily because of the condition of their hearts and the love they share with their families, but also because of the successes that each have achieved. Adam has succeeded in his passion for teaching youth, Sara and Emily have built successful businesses as hair stylists and Ashley has multiple country songs charting on Billboard. When speaking about Carol’s family, we cannot leave out her Bernese Mountain dogs. Carol always wanted to have lap dogs and these 100+ pound fury kids are just that. They have no problem joining anyone on the couch or in a large chair. We’re just very thankful that no one makes a purse large enough to hold them because we’re pretty sure Carol would have tried to make that work too.

In addition to her family, Carol’s passion included the sharing of God’s overwhelmingly good news. She did this through her leading and participating in many Bible study groups reaching teenagers and adults of all ages and backgrounds. Within these groups Carol forged many very close and deep personal friendships. She loved her friends and thoroughly enjoyed their company, whether studying God’s word or sharing a glass of wine, or both. Several years ago, after profuse urging, Carol worked up the courage to write a book about her life story in hopes of encouraging women to lean into Jesus to find the power of freedom and transformation that He provided to Carol and her family.

Carol’s happy place was the family’s home in the mountains where she would escape the crowds, draw closer to God and recreate with family and friends. She poured her heart into designing the home and the family is blessed that her spirit will forever be present there. If you knew Carol, you know that she loved the Holidays. In addition to Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving, family and friends would enter both of Carol’s homes and instantly know the season from the way that Carol would elaborately transform them with her decorations. 

Carol’s incredible strength of character and deep emotional fortitude was never more apparent than these last seven months. With such a rapid and painful decline of her physical health, Carol greeted each day and everyone she encountered with a smile and words of love and encouragement. She refused to allow anyone to see the pain she was in or the discouragement that was trying to get to her. It is this overwhelmingly genuine and uplifting gift that Carol shared with us all that we will miss most.

A celebration of life will be held at Bayside Church, 8191 Sierra College Blvd, Roseville, CA 95661, on Friday, October 23rd at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Carol’s name to the UCSF Scleroderma Center.