Carolyn Terry Cavitt 1944-2004

JONES, HARMON, CAVITT

Posted By: michael (email)
Date: 9/12/2004 at 09:03:06

Carolyn (Terry) Cavitt 1944-2004
Carolyn spent her final days on a road trip to Minneapolis to be in the embrace of her family. She returned to Iowa City for some final moments with her friends remembering and savoring the good days and good stories from her past while looking out at her garden in glorious bloom. Her last job was teaching and showing friends, colleagues and family how to accept death with grace and good humor.

Carolyn Cavitt, 60, of 323 3rd Avenue died from a brain tumor at her home Friday, September 10, 2004 with her husband and a friend by her side. A journal of Carolyn’s illness is at www.holthaus.com/carolyn

She was able to say she had only one regret: not being able to continue spending time with grandsons Robert and Jacob, her daughter Camille and son-in-law Jim. But she died with a certainty that there would be many family events in the future that will start with “Remember when Grandma C used to…”

She was born Lois Carolyn Harmon in Springfield, Missouri February 21, 1944 to Edna Benitta (Jones) Harmon and Sidney Walker Harmon. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to a farm outside Iola, KS.

Her father farmed and raised Black Angus cattle in Kansas. He sold one every time her tuition came due at Cottey College, Nevada, MO. She completed her formal education at Pittsburg (Kansas) State University with Bachelors of Music Education-Voice in 1967. She first worked as an elementary teacher in Parsons, KS later working as TV music teacher in an experimental program for Labett County, Kansas. Her parents never said “no you can’t do that” and always told all their children they could do or become anything. She was most proud of: “being able to take care of myself, by God!”

One of her five older sisters Marge Harmon, (a physician, still practicing in Kenya at age 78), gave her a gold Mustang when she graduated from Pittsburg State. One of her two older brothers, Joe Bill, was a pilot who would fly to the local airport and give her a ride home to the farm for a family visit. She was much envied as the “girl with the gold Mustang and her own pilot.”

She met her husband Michael in 1966 when she was singing Ma Peacham in Three Penny Opera and he was in the audience. He stayed to help strike the set and went to the party after the play. She was a red head in the opera but a tiny energetic blonde in person. They married in 1967 and had a daughter Camille, born in New York City, who now lives in Minneapolis with her husband Jim and sons, Robert and Jacob.

She worked at Cards Etc. in Downtown Iowa City and walked across the street one day and applied at Dain Rauscher where she worked as a stockbroker for 20 years. She became the manager from 1998-2001 and was only the second woman in the company to become a branch manager. She was probably the first to bake a birthday cake every year for each of her staff and brokers. Carolyn said: “I could never sneak out of the national manager meetings; it would be too obvious since there were 90 men and only 2 women.”

She enjoyed travel with her family and made “mother-daughter trips” with Camille to New York to shop and go to shows on Broadway. Her favorite saying was: “So many spas, so little time.” Carolyn and Michael celebrated their 30th anniversary at a spa in Santa Barbara where they filled their room with fresh orchids from the farmers market.

She served The Stepping Up Coalition at the University of Iowa from its formation in 1996 as chairman and later as interim director and finally co-coordinator until her death.
She was appointed in 2004 by Iowa’s Gov. Tom Vilsack to serve as a member of the Alcohol Beverage Commission for the State of Iowa.

Carolyn was a member of The Quire and enjoyed a special private concert by them when she first came home from surgery in July. She has served on the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, as President of Altrussa, on the Iowa City Noon Rotary Board of Directors, as President of the Women Brokers Network at RBC Dain Rauscher, and as President of the Iowa City Public Library Board.

Funeral Services to celebrate Carolyn’s life will be held Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 1:30PM at Lower City Park. Burial will be at Ridgewood Cemetery in North Liberty. Friends may call from 4 to 7PM Monday at Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service, Iowa City. Funeral services will be casual.

A reception and celebration will be held at 4PM, Tuesday at the Levitt Center for University Advancement. Instead of flowers, contributions may be made to the Carolyn Cavitt Memorial Fund at US Bank, Private Banking Group, POB 1460 Iowa City, IA 52244-1460

She is survived by her husband, Michael, daughter Camille (Jim) Holthaus, Minneapolis, MN; two young grandsons Robert and Jacob Holthaus; four sisters, Marge Harmon, DO, Nanyuke, Kenya; Aleene (Charles) Grant, Clovis, NM; Leola (Leroy) Latta, Topeka, KS; and Connie (Glenn) May; one brother, Jones Harmon, Marshfield, MO. and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents Sidney and Benita Harmon and brother Joe Bill Harmon.

On-line condolences may be directed to www.lensingfuneral.com