Carol L. Harms

Carol L. Harms, 93, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 4, 2020, at the Elizabeth Scott Community in Maumee, Ohio, two months to the day after the loss of her beloved husband of 71 years, Gerald E. Harms. Carol was born on January 29, 1927, in Toledo to Fred J. and Albina (Ernst) Lauer. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers Thomas, Robert, John, and Daniel Lauer. She grew up in the Old West End and attended Rosary Cathedral grade school and St. Ursula Academy. Following a year at Mary Manse College, she entered nurse’s training at St. Vincent Hospital, graduating as an RN in 1948. Upon graduation she worked as a nurse for a year. After the birth of her first daughter, she became a stayat-home mother and homemaker the rest of her life. Carol met Jerry, her best friend’s brother, shortly after he returned from the war in November, 1945. She invited him to the St. Ursula Christmas dance, and they were together from that moment on. They were married in 1949 at Rosary Cathedral. Through their 71-year marriage they raised seven children and had seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Carol and Jerry enjoyed traveling the world with family and their many friends. They went to Europe several times, as well as the UK, Australia, Russia, and numerous cities in the United States. They traveled several times with the whole family to New England, Upper Michigan, and out West, often taking two cars and a camping trailer. She hosted numerous dinner parties and weekend events with friends and family at the cottage and at their home in South Toledo. She and Jerry belonged to several dinner clubs with friends and played bridge with various couples through the years. When her children were all in school, Carol began volunteering extensively. At St. Patrick of Heatherdowns School she counted the Sunday collection, served as a library aide, filled in as the school nurse, and chaperoned numerous field trips over the years. She cocoached the track team for four years. At St. Vincent Hospital she served at the information desk and in the gift shop. She and Jerry were members at Heatherdowns Country Club for 50 years, where she played countless rounds of golf. In later years at Cypresswood, Florida, their winter home, she scored a hole-in-one. Another thrill for her and Jerry was playing the historic course at St. Andrews, Scotland. But Carol’s favorite times were spent at her beloved cottage at Lake LeAnn in the Irish Hills with her family and friends. The cottage was a labor of love for the family. Carol’s father, Fred J. Lauer, an architect/engineer for A. Bentley & Sons, designed the home and drew up the blueprints. Jerry, a lumber salesman, procured the lumber and materials and acted as a subcontractor. The cottage opened in the spring of 1971 and has served as a nexus for the family and their friends to this day. When Jerry retired in 1994, they expanded the cottage, and it became their home. Many a young skier learned the sport with a patient and encouraging Carol coaching from the helm of the family speedboat. The grandchildren became more like siblings as they grew up spending summers together at the lake. She loved hosting parties and events at the lake. Many family milestones were celebrated within those walls. When Carol wasn’t piloting the speedboat or the pontoon boat, she was playing (and usually winning) cards and board games with her children and grandchildren. She was witty, loved holding newborn babies, and even enjoyed some rock and roll (Bob Seger, in particular). Carol was open-minded and an eternal optimist. Missing her dearly are her children, Sue Harms, Tom Harms (Toni), Amy Cole (Syd), Jane Harloff (Steve), Julie Kipp (Dan), Peggy Sullivan (Mike), Anne Dobson (Ed); grandchildren, Amanda Long (Richard), Hannah Mickael (Bishoy), Sarah Mercer (Jake), Adam Harms, John Kipp, Leanne Harloff, and Jackson Harloff; and great-grandchildren Lily Mercer, Ella Mercer, and Lucas Mickael. Special thanks go to the staff and administration of the Elizabeth Scott Community for the exceptional attention and care they provided Mom and Dad for the past three years. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions can be made to the activities fund at Elizabeth Scott Community, St. Vincent Hospital (Mercy Health Foundation), or the charity of one’s choice.