Carol Anne Spiller 1/16/1933 - 2/28/2022

Carol, like her parents, Raymond Wagner and Loretta (Kelly) Wagner, was born in San Francisco at St. Luke’s hospital in the Mission district. She was baptized at Mission Dolores. Carol’s formative years were happy as she was surrounded by the Wagner and Kelly families in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most of these years were spent in the Richmond district where she received 12 years of Catholic education at Star of the Sea, making life-long friendships with Mary, Eithne, Noreen, and Sharon. Like many of her family and friends, Carol frequented the Russian River area. Summers included annual trips by train with her brother, Jim, to Ventura, and onto Santa Paula, visiting her aunt, uncle, and cousin. Though Carol never expressed this, it was clear that her vocation in life was to be a wife and mother. The Richmond and Sunset districts got together in 1952 when Carol met Frank at a USF Valentine’s Day dance. Frank worked very hard to convince Carol that he was meant to be her life partner. Carol was a city girl and Frank’s family was into camping and fishing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The weekend she received her engagement ring, Carol traveled to Bucks Lake with Frank’s sister, Jeanne and her husband, Charlie Mahoney. This trip involved many new experiences, including catching her first trout and getting used to outdoor facilities. Over the years, Bucks Lake became a special place with her expanding family and good times at the lake with her in-laws, Frank Sr. and Bernice. Carol and Frank were married at a nuptial mass at Star of the Sea Church on November 7th, 1953.

Carol and Frank’s first apartment was located in the Sunset district near Saint Anne’s church. This didn’t last long as it was time for Carol to become an army wife and they journeyed to El Paso Texas where they spent four months. Moving back to the bay area, they settled in Corte Madera while Frank was stationed on the Marin coast. First son, Steve, was born at Letterman Hospital in the Presidio in 1955. Carol and Frank then moved back to San Francisco, but Steve was getting lonesome and brother Kevin was born one year and two days later in 1956. Leaving the military, Frank started a new career and the family moved to Lucas Valley in Marin, purchasing their first home. If things weren’t busy enough with the two boys, brother Dennis arrived in 1959. Seeing the hospital band on Dennis, Carol was certain it was pink instead of blue. Carol gave up on girls and brother Chris entered the picture in 1963. The family was incomplete, and Carol finally got her daughter in 1970, when her niece Christina joined the family.

With Frank’s retirement in 1988 and the children having started their independent lives, Carol was able to devote more of her time to her own interests. This included cruising and traveling the world with Frank and frequent trips to their cabin at Lake Tahoe. Carol enjoyed playing bridge at Round Hill in Alamo and The Gardens in Walnut Creek and was active with the Young Ladies Institute (YLI) at St. Isidore church. Carol was a very social person. She had the ability to walk into a room of strangers and immediately make friends. Carol had the gift of gab and was a detailed storyteller, often weaving multiple stories into a single conversation. She was famous for her long goodbyes at social gatherings. Carol was also a care giver to senior members of both her family and Frank’s.

Every five years it was traditional to host a special birthday celebration for Carol. Three of those birthdays were very memorable. On her 65th she had a surprise birthday party at the World Trade Club in San Francisco which included her Star of the Sea graduation class. This established a tradition where the Star of the Sea classmates gathered annually. Another memorable birthday occurred when Carol turned 80. The family chartered a bus and traced her life through San Francisco, concluding with a dinner at the Basque Cultural Center. And on Carol’s 85th birthday she took Christina and her four daughter-inlaws to the Sonoma Mission Inn for a weekend of spa treatments, laughter, and memorable experiences.

The end-of-life experience was difficult, yet beautiful. Carol was surrounded by family at home her last eleven days under excellent hospice care and the medical oversight of son Kevin. Her entire family was able to visit and spend time with Carol, and she was even able to hold her newest great-grandson. She passed peacefully at home on February 18th, 2022. Carol and Frank were happily married for 68 years.

Carol is survived by her husband Frank Spiller, his brother and sister-in-law Bill & Jeanne Spiller, sons Stephen (Sharon) Spiller, Kevin (Sherry) Spiller, Dennis (Heidi) Spiller, Chris (Joan) Spiller and daughter Christina (Jeff) Matthews, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A special thanks to Teresa and Boa for the loving and excellent care they provided to Carol in her home. They have become part of the Spiller family.

A Celebration of Life mass will be held on April 4th, 2022, at St. Isidore Church in Danville at 10:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Carondelet High School or Hospice of the East Bay