Carole L. Herbert

January 1, 1944 – May 31, 2023 Santa Cruz, CA

It is with great sadness that we announce that our beloved wife and mother, Carole Lacey Herbert, died on May 31st at 3:30 a.m. at her home in Santa Cruz with her loving husband, Joe Herbert, at her side. Her passing follows a valiant three-and-a-half-year battle with glioblastoma, a cancer of the central nervous system. Carole was born in Tucson, Arizona to Dr. Leroy and Caroline Dierker, while her father was serving in the US Army Medical Corps. Carole was the second of seven siblings, the eldest daughter. Following her father’s discharge from the army, her family moved to Fort Madison, Iowa. Carole lovingly remembered her childhood and growing up on a farm. She enjoyed riding horses with her siblings and being outdoors. Following high school, Carole attended St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, and later Creighton University, in Omaha Nebraska where she graduated with a teaching credential. She taught for a short while in Omaha. It was at Creighton University that Carole met the love of her life, Dr. Joseph Herbert, a medical student at the time. They were married in Omaha at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church. Following their marriage, they moved to San Francisco where Joe did his medical internship. Carole continued her teaching career in San Francisco until the birth of her first child, Stephanie. The family then moved to Seattle, Washington for Joe’s medical residency where their second child, Jim, was born. Carole and Joe then spent two years in Mountain View, California where Joe served at Moffett Field Naval Air Station where their third child, Bryan, was born. The family moved to Santa Cruz in 1971. Carole was a devoted wife and full-time mother to her three children. She worked tirelessly for equal educational access for children with special educational needs. Carole and her husband, Joe, enjoyed traveling. They traveled much of Europe, visiting Catholic pilgrimage sites and often visiting their son Jim, his wife Suzanne, and three grandchildren in Düsseldorf, Germany. Carole loved being a grandmother and helped generously with the care of her 10 grandchildren. She was a regular at all school events at Holy Cross School. She especially loved becoming a great-grandmother this past year. Carole’s true passion was her Catholic faith. She was a long-term parishioner of Holy Cross Church and was devoted to the prayer group she founded there. She loved going to pray at the Holy Cross Mission chapel. Along with several other couples, she also founded and helped to open Agnus Dei, a Catholic bookstore in Santa Cruz. She considered this store to be a ministry and she loved sharing her knowledge of her faith with whoever would come in. She was also a devoted mass attendee at the Shrine of St. Joseph Guardian of the Redeemer on West Cliff Drive, a community she loved and supported passionately. Carole is survived by her devoted husband of 57 years, Dr. Joseph Herbert. She is also survived by her daughter Stephanie Casper, her husband Mark, and their 7 children, Caroline, Claire, Katherine, Luke, Gabrielle, Matthew, and Michael and grandson, Gabriel; her son, Jim Herbert, and his wife, Suzanne, their children, Olivia, Joseph, and Ava; and her son, Bryan Herbert. Carole will be greatly missed by her family. She was an unending source of love and guidance to all. A rosary vigil will be held at 7 p.m. on June 2, 2023, at Saint Joseph Guardian of the Redeemer Shrine on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz. The Mass of Catholic Burial will be celebrated at 9 a.m. at the same location on Saturday, June 3, 2023. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Santa Cruz.