Carol (McCaffery) Atwood

Carol (McCaffery) Atwood, 79, a longtime resident of the Springdale, Wash. area passed away on April 7, 2022, in Spokane, Wash. Carol was born on Oct. 2, 1942, in Spokane, Wash. She was the daughter of Edward Charles and Lucille (Sayres) McCaffery.

Carol was raised in the Egypt area near Davenport, Wash. on the family farm. Her early morning hours were spent milking cows and completing chores before leaving the home or going to school. Her father was called to serve in World War II and so the family resided out of the area during that time. Carol had the opportunity to return and stay with her grandparents for a portion of that time. She graduated in 1960 from Davenport High School and then worked at the local ONB Bank to save money for college. Carol moved to Cheney and attended Eastern Washington State College. She completed her education and then served two years in Alaska with the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. Carol also traveled to Vietnam during the war and served as a civilian recreation coordinator in support of the U.S. Military troops serving there. Returning stateside, Carol moved to Newport News, Va. and worked there for a time until returning to Washington State. Carol worked as a swim instructor at Spokane Community College and Chewelah for many years. She also worked undercover for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office at the request of her longtime friend, James E. “Ed” Atwood. Their friendship later blossomed and they were wed in the 1980’s and made their home on Lyon’s Hill near Springdale, Wash. Ed preceded Carol in death on Dec. 16, 2005. She remained in their Lyon’s Hill home until just recently when her decline in health from cancer required the excellent care of Royal Park Health and Rehabilitation.

Carol had a love for Golden Retrievers and enjoyed their company, owning 6 of them over the years. Her favorite holiday was St. Valentine’s Day followed then by St. Patrick’s Day. With her beautiful penmanship, she would hand write and make all of the holiday cards which she had postmarked appropriately for Loveland, CO for St. Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s, Missouri for St. Patrick’s Day. Her creativity received awards and accolades with the yearly scrapbooks she created for the Excelsior Pomona Grange. Carol was an avid Gonzaga basketball fan and spent many seasons sharing game time with her cousin over long phone conversations. She was a lifetime member of the Catholic Church and embraced her faith every day.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Bill and Tom.

She is survived by her sister, Sharon Simons of Spokane, Wash., a host of cousins, and other extended family members.

The graveside service and vault internment for Carol M. Atwood will begin at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, April 21, 2022, at the Springdale Cemetery with Fr. Mike Ishida officiating. Memorial contributions may be given to either the Washington State Veterinarians Teaching College or the Jesuit Volunteer Corp.

Please visit the online memorial and sign the guestbook at http://www.danekasfunealchapel.com. Danekas Funeral Chapel and Crematory is entrusted with the arrangements.