Carol Ann Regier

Carol Ann (Krause) Regier was born on July 2,1939 to Theodore and Anna (Fedrau) Krause in Reedley, seven miles from the family farm in Dinuba in the San Joaquin Valley of California. She was the second child in the family, following older brother Ted, younger sister Rhoda, and younger brother Richard. She grew up on a beautiful farm of grapes, peaches, and oranges. The kids helped pick grapes to be sold to SunMaid Raisins. Carol packed peaches for Brandt Peaches from 8th grade through her sophomore year of college. She wrote, “It’s what kids did - we worked hard but enjoyed working with our friends.”

She grew up in a Christian family and attended the Dinuba Mennonite Brethren Church. She accepted the Lord during a Bible study in fifth grade. Her parents helped start Hartland Christian Camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. For many years, Carol enjoyed the freedom to play, swim, and hike in the mountains with friends at Hartland. From this strong foundation, she trusted and followed Jesus throughout her lifetime.

Carol graduated from Immanuel High School in Reedley in 1957. In her words, she “decided it was time to be adventurous and go to Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas - and not report to my parents everything I did.” She loved dorm life and had “awesome relational professors like Sol Loewen and Bill Johnson.” Carol made lifetime friends at Tabor where she majored in Home Economics. After completing science requirements at Kansas State University, she received her degree from Tabor in 1961, as the first college graduate in her family.

She met the love of her life, Paul Regier, while at Tabor. They decided to go steady on April Fool’s day of her junior year and got married after graduation on July 21,1961. On their first anniversary, the young adventurers arrived in Asuncion, Paraguay to teach school to missionary and embassy students. They arrived on Saturday and started teaching on Monday! Their daughter Sharolyn was born in Paraguay on November 8, 1963.

They returned to Denver in August of 1964 and settled into life there. They started attending Garden Park Mennonite Brethren Church. A few years later, they welcomed their son David on December 26, 1966 after a particularly bumpy ride in the VW Bug to see the Civic Center Christmas lights. Carol was a stay-at-home mom and a seamstress who designed clothes and wedding dresses. In the late ‘70s, she started her own business, Colorado Pine, after making a pine cone wreath for one of Paul’s co-workers. She developed that business for over 25 years, traveling to the Hillsboro Arts and Crafts Fair, local Colorado craft fairs, and eventually designing flower arrangements for homes and businesses.

Aside from her floral business, Carol had many different interests. She attended Bible Study Fellowship for many years, taught Pioneer Girls club, and volunteered in her church’s Women’s Ministry. She loved tending her garden and hosting friends for breakfast in it. Her love of cooking led her to help publish both church and Deer Creek Camp cookbooks. Many friends and family will remember her hospitality with delicious home-baked goods like zweibach and cinnamon rolls. She will be remembered as someone who always welcomed anyone who didn’t have a place for the holidays to her table.

Paul and Carol enjoyed the Colorado mountains, Hawaii, and California beaches with their children and grandchildren over the years. They also loved traveling to Europe together and with friends and relatives.

In later years, Carol and Paul were instrumental in reuniting their young adult friendships from Garden Park and Belleview Acres churches in a Friends Group, which met monthly at Community Ministry Food Bank for lunch, fellowship, hymn singing, and a program or speaker. These friends have been treasured companions and spiritual mentors to Paul and Carol throughout the years of raising their children, and they remain deeply cherished friends.

Carol passed away peacefully on July 25, 2026. She is survived by her husband, Paul, daughter Sharolyn (Brian) Wilkin, son David (Darlene) Regier; grandchildren Jack Wilkin, Anna (Roice) Hanks, Benjamin Wilkin; Joseph (Annabel) Regier, Sophia Regier, Eliana Regier, and Daniel Regier; brother Ted (Judy) Krause, sister Rhoda (Gilbert) Friesen. She is preceded in death by her parents Ted and Anne Krause and brother Richard.

Funeral service will be held Monday, August 3, 2026, 11:30am with visitation starting at 10:30am before service, both to be held at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood. Burial will follow at 2:30pm, Littleton Cemetery.

Carol loved flowers! They would be welcome, or, if you prefer, please donate in Carol's honor to:

Tabor College, 400 S. Jefferson St., Hillsboro, Kansas 67063

Donation link: https://tabor.edu/alumni-friends/give-online/

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

Romans 5:1-5