Carol Anne (Impton) LeMense returned to her maker on September 5, 2015 at home peacefully with her family present. Carol was born in 1940 to Ruth (Zulch) Impton and Fred Impton near Edon, Ohio. She graduated valedictorian from Edon High School and received BA and MA degrees from Michigan State University in Business and Education. Carol is survived by her loving family—husband Michael of East Lansing, MI, son Thomas and grandsons Robert and Ryan of Farmington, MI, and daughter Julia in New York City. Carol was preceded in death by her parents and daughter-in-law, Jeannette.
Carol met Michael student teaching, and they began their careers teaching together in Waterford Schools. They married in 1963. After her early years teaching, Carol pursued a second career in information technology spanning 20 years. Carol’s family resided in Waterford for 35 years and then retired to East Lansing in 1998.
Carol was a loving mother, wife and friend. She was an accomplished seamstress and quilter—skills she learned as a child in 4-H and from her dear grandmother, Caroline (Rockey) Zulch. Carol was an active member of her community and belonged to several university clubs and committees. Even in retirement, she put her computer skills to good use and served as volunteer webmaster for a MSU club. Carol also enjoyed astronomy, golf, playing piano, jewelry and glass making, singing in the choir and volunteering for the children’s activities at school. She was fond of giraffes and basset hounds and has an elegant giraffe sculpture collection. Always up for an adventure, Carol loved to travel with her family. She has admired the majesty of the Rocky Mountains and the Southern Alps, celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans, kissed the Blarney Stone, climbed the Sydney Bridge, sailed the Aegean touring the Greek Islands, floated down the Danube, cruised through the Panama Canal, snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef and kayaked around Martha’s Vineyard.
A memorial funeral mass and celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at St. John Church in East Lansing, MI at 11:00 a.m. Memorial gifts can be given to the Carol and Michael LeMense Family Endowed Graduate Fellowship with a check payable to Michigan State University, sent to the attention of the fellowship name at Director of Development, 535 Chestnut Road, Room 300, East Lansing, MI 48824 or to the Michigan Bassett Rescue, PO Box 300381 Waterford, MI 48330. Since Carol battled an aggressive form of triple-negative breast cancer, with 4 metastases, donations can also be made in Carol’s memory to METAvivior, Inc., 1783 Forest Dr. #184, Annapolis, MD 21401 (or visit metavivor.org). A MSU professor Carol met is conducting a breast cancer research project funded by METAvivor.
