Karrol Lynn Steeves, née Foutz, 62, passed away in her home on March 21st, 2024, surrounded by her husband and partner in crime of 37 years, Bill Steeves, and her three sons, after a very courageous two-year battle with a very aggressive breast cancer.
Karrol came into this life on June 2nd, 1961, in Farmington, NM. Her parents were Charles Troy Foutz and Linda Carolynn Foutz, née Hardin.
Karrol was a very loving mother of three sons: Nick Roop (Mandy), Collin Steeves, and Noah Steeves. All three were her pride and joy.
Karrol’s youth was very hard due to a broken family, and she had to change homes and schools far too often. She bounced around from Farmington to the Byron/Cowley, WY area, and Phoenix. Her high school days were split between Viroqua, WI, where she lived with her aunt, uncle, and their family, and ultimately graduating from Hanna, WY, high school in 1979.
After high school, she married Kenneth Roop and gave birth to her first son, Nick. After the dissolution of that marriage, Karrol moved to Rawlins, WY, to work and save money to fulfill her goal of moving to Fort Collins. After securing employment in Fort Collins, she briefly moved to Salt Lake City, UT, for a job. But her love of Northern Colorado brought her back. She accepted a position as Office Manager for Choice Roofing, where she met her husband, Bill. They first became good friends and then began a relationship that lasted 37 years and produced her 2nd and 3rd sons.
Karrol was an extremely creative lady. She excelled at decorating, cooking, designing and making clothes, gardening, scrapbooking, and paper art. She was devoted to her children and worked tirelessly on projects with them. She loved Halloween and would spend hours creating costumes.
Karrol was also an entrepreneur, and she explored many avenues, including becoming a certified Handwriting Analyst and Document Examiner. She brought her enthusiasm and wisdom to each endeavor. Karrol owned a Comfort Keepers franchise for around five years, serving all of Northern Colorado to provide non-medical in-home care to the elderly. She brought compassion and caring to all her clients and employees.
As a lifelong truth seeker looking for the meaning of life, Karrol found the absolutely beautiful writings of Edward Albert Meier and again brought her enthusiasm and probing intellect to bear in the study of them. She became active in the FIGU organization, starting and joining many groups worldwide devoted to study. Karrol even had a podcast, Reality Ranch, which promoted and discussed Mr. Meier’s writings.
Karrol finally settled on a 3-acre piece of land and home in Western Loveland, in the shadow of the Devil’s Backbone. There, she devoted herself to erecting ethically organic vineyards, gardens, and orchards to provide high-quality food for her and her family. This also included chickens, for both eggs and meat, which she helped process.
Karrol’s passing has left a huge void in many lives and will be painfully missed. If everyone had her compassion, understanding, wisdom, and love in their hearts, there would be no war, hunger, violence, or homelessness in this world.
She will be interred in a natural funeral on the land that she loved so much, close to the home she created. Now, she is on to the next chapter in her evolution. We love you.
She was such a great person. When I was a child she showed me love and compassion. Her positivity will be with me the rest of my life. Love and miss her so much.
Karrol had a joy of life apparent in all our interactions. She so loved her family. It was an honor to be her friend,.
Karrol you were a inspiration to me I looked up to you and admired you on a soul level. You had many transformations throughout the years of our friendship. You found everything that you were seeking. I hope to take your lessons as I continue my journey. Karrol you had a huge impact on my life. You were dear to me I will never forget you. Did I think of you as a Mom, Aunt well as for our ages we will go with a older sister for me. I wish when times were getting tough for you that you would of called me I would of been there in a heartbeat. I will see you on the other side. With love and friendship always Angie
Mom,
The universe took you from us too soon. None of us ever thought that we would all be in the position where we would all be together to see your passing. We thought that you would outlive us all. You fought hard and did what you thought was best to fight your battle on your terms. We did not always see eye to eye, and we both had our struggles with the trauma and scars created by our past. Ultimately, I am grateful we could move beyond that and grant each other grace and acceptance. You were a remarkable person and did your best to ensure my brothers and I were enriched and educated practically, spiritually, and emotionally. Being a parent was never a popularity contest for you; instead, you focused on making sure that you raised us to be aware of the consequences of making poor decisions and that we developed a morality based on evidence and compassion. I am thankful that we could get you home so you could pass in the comfort of the beautiful environment you created, surrounded by the people who loved you the most.
We shared a moment during our parting after our dinner in Scottsdale in February, where, in my heart, I knew it would be the last time the two of us could enjoy each other’s company while you were still entirely yourself. I will always treasure that day we spent together and the wonderful meal that we shared. Despite our differences, we always shared a special intuitive connection. This is probably why I could never get away with anything as a teenager; you always knew what I was thinking. You and Bill did everything you could to ensure I turned out ok and did not self-destruct, and I can say that you succeeded. I will never regret being there to spend your last moments with you, as painful as it was. Even in your final hours, you still cracked jokes and made us smile. I love you, Mom, and I will miss you always. Until we meet again in the next life.
I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge my second father, Bill Steeves. I have never called you Dad, but you have always been a father to me, and much of the man I have become is due to the lessons you taught me and the example you set. Thank you for always loving and taking such exceptional care of my mother. I have always admired and had a great deal of respect for you. While losing Mom is tremendously painful for me, I cannot imagine the depth of your grief in losing the love of your life. You displayed exceptional courage in caring for her in her final months. I hope you can find solace in knowing that all three of your sons will always be here for you.
It was a pleasure meeting you, Karrol. I wish we had met when we were both healthy. I have a feeling we could have been great friends. I will always remember our brief friendship fondly. Thank you for sharing some of your time with me.
Karrol was a treasure as an inspiring friend unlike no other. Her compassion and patience gave me comfort and insight. Her zeal for life was a reminder that we must never take anything for granted especially the next moment of tommorows.
She always reminded me of importance of constantly learning when we had our long conversations. Something that she knew intuitively and I discovered mirrored in the following sentence.
“Regardless of the human beings age, he/she never stops learning, which why he/she remains a student for the whole of his/ her life and ought to fulfill the evolution and the further education.”
Die Art zu leben/ The Way to Live, 345)
~BEAM
See you in the next one Karrol!
‘She is Gone’ by David Harkins
You can shed tears that she is gone
Or you can smile because she has lived
You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her
Or you can be full of the love that you shared
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday
You can remember her and only that she is gone
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
Bill & Boys,
We are so sad for your loss.
We are rejoicing in the knowledge that Karrol has moved on to a better place.
She was glorious and fierce in her life fight and suffering; may she be at rest.
May you all find each other, with peace and joy, wherever that may be in our next opportunities.
With all love and respect.
Terry & Shawna Schmitz
Laporte Colorado
Bill my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Patti Philbin Dougherty
What a shock to learn of Karrol’s passing. She was a fiercely independent thinker who always got to the truth of any matter. It is what I admired and respected her for. I always enjoyed her conversations and sharing of knowledge. Let her memory be an inspiration for all those who knew her.