Carol Owen
August 12, 1940 - February 15, 2022
Carol Marie Owen, 81 of Pimento, Indiana passed away February 15, 2022 at home in Centerpoint, Indiana.
She was born at home August 12, 1940 to Oscar and Myrtle (Garrison) Owen. Carol was a Pimento Pepper throughout her school years. She earned a “letter” sweater in the band for playing the trombone and loved home ec class too. The only A+ she ever earned, she thought was for a red (her favorite color) suit jacket and skirt made of wool. She kept it cleaned and safe and wore it many years later to a high school reunion, that her home ec teacher was at too. We can only imagine how proud she presented herself to her teacher. She was a member of 4-H. Years later, she shamefully admitted, that one year, she submitted a discarded pie that her sister had made and won a blue ribbon. She grew up in Oregon Baptist Church and considered herself a lifelong member, although she hadn’t attended in years. She held on to the foundation of that and spoke of it even a few days before her death. Upon graduating high school in 1958, she married Dallas Scamihorn. Together they started a family, that she had always wanted. She busied herself being a homemaker and sometimes log truck driver for her husband’s company, taking her small daughters with her. In the summer, they loaded up the car and together with her in laws traveled west, going to several states.
In the early 1970’s, she began taking cake decorating class at North High School with her mom. She was very accomplished in the art and baked countless cakes for family and friends. Her collection of cake pans is too many to mention. Carol also during that time, took interior design courses through the mail, and earned her completion certificate. Around that same time, she returned to driving a log truck and was the first woman to deliver a load of logs to Weston Paper Mill in Terre Haute. She was the driver of the only log truck in the school pick up line. She was very good at it and found it was her passion.
Upon a dare, she went to Amax Coal Company, and applied for a job. By the time she got home, they were calling with a job offer to drive a UKE. For the next 23 years, she drove the nearly 400 ton beast within the mine from the pit to the tipple. Filled in when needed loading dynamite into the holes, making way for the dragline to come in and dig for coal. She was tough and worked hard in a man’s world. Earning top dollar money back then. She was always very proud of her job, and was thrilled when family would show up on an off-set old coal road to watch her. She was so well liked and respected that her bosses would give special tours down in the pits in their pick-ups when family would come during work hours. During this time, she would take her vacation time off to spend with kids for a week, to help after the birth of her grandkids. Upon her retirement, she helped care for her ailing mother, and also had more time for some of her grandkids to spend the night. They will tell you of the wonderful nights they had with her. Waking in the middle of the night for hot tea and toast parties. Loading up in the car at midnight for a McDonalds happy meal was not unusual, or the next day taking the kids back home, at a stop sign, flinging the car door open having everyone hurry and get out, running around the car, just to get back in again and take off – all while laughing and telling them to hurry before a car came. She called this a Chinese fire drill stop and we will never know why. She was very giving, fun loving, and vibrant. She turned a cartwheel on her birthday every year just because she could. We think her last one was on her 75th birthday. She was also strong willed, determined to do it on her own, still buying a brand new house and car up into her 70’s with only her signature, which she was very proud of. She could also be very opinionated and abrasive to make you see her point of view, but we loved her anyway. She had three longtime friends, Alice, who she met in first grade, Joye who she met when both were in the hospital having their first child together, and Bonnie who she met in the late 60’s as a neighbor. She learned how to crochet, knit, and loved word search and puzzles. She loved her dogs, Mopsy, and Tuffy. She enjoyed riding with her daughter on the back of her Harley Davidson motorcycle. She continued to travel, visiting Europe, going on a cruise, California, Alaska, and even going to Sturgis and all the surrounding states. When she no longer could care for herself, she moved to her son’s house in the country which reminded her of her childhood memories with gravel roads, corn fields, and tractors passing. When winter came, she moved to her daughters where she was cared for by her and her son-in-law, with whom she became very close to. At times having a love-hate relationship. All the while being surrounded with grandkids and great grandkids.
She is preceded in death by her parents, a brother, George Dale Owen, a grandson Ryan, great grandsons, Oliver, Otis, and Landon.
Survivors include her children, Kathryn (John) Moore, Karen (David) Nicholls, Karmen Scamihorn, Karilee (Kyle) Dickison, Kerry (Sharri) Scamihorn. Grandchildren, Sarah (Jeremy) Noel, Elijah (Hildey) Moore, Valerie (Jason) Clutter, Rachel (Tony) Popov, Caleb (Becca) Moore, Landry (Brysta) Moore, Randy (Brittney) Kuhlman, Rashawna (Nathan) Mader, Keanon (Chrissy) Dickison, Keifer (Brooke) Dickison, Kyzaya (Kourtney) Dickison, Kaleena Dickison, Heather, Tessa (Jonathan) Scamihorn, Olivia (Jacob) Cottrell, and Zebulon (Sophie) Scamihorn. Great grandchildren, Evie, Paisley, Brayden, Bryleigh, Chloe, Aiden, Spencer, Xander, Paige, Brinkley, Lolo, Maja, Ava, Nolan, Everlee, Kyden, Remy, Lex, Blaire, Selena, Brooklyn, Kaylee, Alexia, Lily, Kaspar, Maddie, Wendee, Brantley, Wyatt, Jilly, Lyla, Shiloh, and Greyson. Sisters Marcella (Donald) Richmond, and Elaine (Stephen) Lipeatt, three nieces, and one nephew.
A visitation will be held Saturday, February 26th from 11-1 PM at French Funeral Home, 421 East National Avenue in Brazil. A service, officiated by Pastor Jeremy Noel and Pastor Jason Clutter will begin at 1 PM.
