Carole Coburn

Carole Anne Coburn, 88, of Lakeland, Fl, passed away peacefully on 11 April 2024. She was born on Christmas Day, 1935, in East Molesey, England, to John and Grace Hicks, their third child. Her family lived on the outskirts of London during WWII, where they faced the constant threat of bombardment by the German Air Force. Their back yard included a small bomb shelter, and she often shared stories of growing up during the war. Carole was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Peter and Brian.

In 1953 she met her future husband, David Coburn, who was on temporary assignment to England with the US Air Force. Less than a year later, she accepted his marriage proposal and boarded a ship for the United States. They were happily married, traveling the world together throughout his 27-year military career, until he retired from the service and moved back home to Lakeland. They enjoyed 49 wonderful years together, with their children and grandchildren, until his passing in 2003.

Together they had four children, Vicki, Karen, David (deceased 2021) and Christopher, nine grandchildren (Richard, Brian, Elizabeth, Joshua, Emily, Olivia, Charles, Jennifer and Christopher) and six great grandchildren (Aubrey, Chase, William, Andrew, Kale and Madelyn). In addition to devoting herself to her family, Carole spent 20 years providing foster care for babies awaiting adoption; she lovingly cared for hundreds of babies in that period.

She spent several years in an assisted living facility before moving back home in 2023. While there, she became an active part of the community, developing close friendships with many of the residents, including Barbara, Norma, Dorothy and her best buddy, Harley.

Carole dedicated her life to her family; she was loving and kind-hearted and leaves behind a legacy for her family that includes her intelligence, a love of learning, an adventurous spirit, a can-do attitude and, above all else, a most wonderful sense of humor. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to VISTE (Volunteers In Service To the Elderly) at viste.org .