Carol Kay Eichmann

Click on Link Below to view Live Cast https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/268432607 Carol Kay Eichmann, 76, of Boise, went to heaven on March 20, 2020, and is now reunited with her beloved son, Michael. Her passing from natural causes was sudden, but we know that she wants us to be happy for her. She is at peace. She was born to Rhiney and LaVerne Price on December 29, 1943, in Butte, Montana. Carol graduated from Butte High School in 1962 and shortly thereafter moved to Denver, Colorado, with a girlfriend. There she met Mike McClure, and they were married that year. She brought her beloved daughter, Randi, into the world in 1963, and there was never a more devoted mother. A few years later, the family moved to Detroit where her son, Michael, was born in 1969. In 1972 the family split up and Carol, Randi, and Michael, along with her mother, LaVerne, moved to Boise. Carol had never driven on a freeway, yet she determinedly (and safely) transported her mom and kids in a yellow Pinto across the country to begin a new life. She spared nothing for the well-being of her little family, always putting them first, and she made many a personal sacrifice on their behalf. Carol was known for her problem solving, often saying, “There’s always a way,” and it rang true with her. She entered the banking industry and served her customers in a variety of positions at Provident Federal, beginning as a receptionist and advancing to Assistant Vice President. She went on to work in the Trust Department at First Security Bank and at Wells Fargo in Personal Banking until her retirement in 1997. On April 5, 1973, she met John Eichmann, and it was love at first sight. On their second date, he told her he was going to marry her. She accepted his proposal a couple of months later, and they waited until he finished college and got established in the business world. After their formal engagement, John asked permission from Randi and Michael to wed their mother. They were married in Christ Chapel on the Boise State University campus on May 22, 1976, where little Michael walked his mother down the aisle, and they began a wonderful life with the children. Carol’s heart knew no boundaries, and she welcomed all into her life. She would strike up a conversation with people waiting in a grocery store checkout line, an early voting line, or in the keno game section in Jackpot. And if she saw someone on the street asking for a donation, she would first talk to the person, make a connection, and then share her gift. Compassion, caring, and service to others was her life’s work. In addition to possessing the most amazing quality of listening, Carol truly heard others. It made no difference who or where, friend or stranger, she was deeply concerned about other people’s lives, their hopes and dreams, their problems and regrets, and she rejoiced in their success. She never sought attention, preferring to work and stand behind the scenes and to applaud others for their accomplishments. Truly one of God’s angels on earth. Her children and her grandchildren were a major focus of her life. And not just her own children–many others called her their Second Mom. She was never too busy or too tired to just listen and to offer comfort wherever, whenever needed, to new acquaintance or to life-long friend. Though she possessed a quiet and gentle nature, Carol was a strong woman, full of confidence, grit, and determination. She was unswerving in her pursuit of That Which is Right, and, like her son, was a champion for the disadvantaged. Once, she stood up to her fellow jurors who were anxious to simply convict and go home to dinner, and she convinced them to change their minds, refusing to bend to convenience. She loved people, but rejected rudeness, bad behavior, meanness, and cruelty to others. Carol and John loved roaming the Idaho mountains together, backpacking, fishing, hiking, camping, and melding with the incredible beauty and spirit of the high country. Over decades, many a weekend was spent in blissful solitude beside a dancing creek, talking to the animals and listening to the wind sing in the trees. It was their cathedral. They also loved their regular trips to the Avenue of the Giants, those magnificent groves of the Northern California Redwoods, where the silence, the eternal twilight, and the transcendent life force of 2,000-year-old beings rejuvenated their spirits and brought them peace. John and Carol spent years creating their own little patch of paradise at their home, spending the summers designing and landscaping their half-acre into a park-like sanctuary. Carol was preceded in death by her mother, LaVerne McKay; father, Rhiney Price; stepfather, Vern McKay; sister, Joan Smith; and her son, Michael McClure. She is survived by her husband, John; sister, Nancy McKay (Boise); daughter, Randi (McClure) Braunwalder, and son-in-law, Keith (Eagle); granddaughters Kendra McClure (Meridian) and Lindsay Braunwalder (Eagle); grandson Jake Braunwalder and his partner, Kira Hutchinson (Eagle); great-grandson Keldon Jackson (Meridian); and beloved niece, Traci Tylar, in Illinois. Arrangements are provided by Summers Funeral Home, Ustick Chapel, Meridian, and family and friends are encouraged to visit www.summersfuneral.com to leave comments, make a memorial to Carol’s favorite charities, the Idaho Food Bank or the Boise Rescue Mission, and to view her video tribute. Eventually, there will be a formal funeral service at the Ustick Chapel when we are again permitted to come together. Carol has been interred at Dry Creek Cemetery, Scenic View Section, next to her mother and her son.