Overland Park, Kansas - It is with deep sorrow and fond remembrance that we share the passing of our beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, Carol Campbell Hildebrandt. She was surrounded by her family. Carol fought a courageous battle against Glioblastoma brain cancer for three years with quiet strength and grace.
Carol was born in northwest Missouri, the youngest child of Dr. Charles E. and Wilma Campbell. She spent her childhood in Rolla, MO, and graduated from Rolla High School where she made lifelong friends. Carol extended her family’s legacy at the University of Missouri and was a proud member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, once again finding lifelong friends. Carol graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 1982 and later earned her MBA in 1987 through Rockhurst University.
While at MU a mutual friend introduced Carol to Gerard Hildebrandt; after several years of dating, they married in June 1984 and shared an unbreakable bond and true partnership for nearly 42 years. Carol was a loving and devoted mother to her two children, Annie and John, who were her greatest happiness and proudest achievement. She was overjoyed to recently become a grandmother as well. Her home with Gerard has been filled with love, laughter, homecooked meals, and an open invitation for friends and family.
Carol always supported her children’s activities through her involvement with the PTA, leading volunteer groups at Harvesters, the Boy Scouts, and Marching Band Board. Carol had a lifelong love of learning – even taking up French in her 60s – and was a voracious reader. She loved to travel with Gerard, Annie, and John, and she found that planning the trips was half the fun. Her travels spanned wide swaths of Europe, 20 US National Parks, and every major American city. Carol spent her career as an engineer and then manager at Allied Signal Aerospace and Honeywell FM&T. The family spent three treasured and adventure-filled years in Northern California, while Carol worked on assignment at Lawrence Livermore National Labs. She was proud to be a pioneering woman in STEM who sought to men- tor those who came after her through organizations including Science Olympiad, The Central Exchange, and Mizzou’s Griffith’s Leadership Society for Women. A true renaissance woman, she applied her vast intellect on her hobbies and was a talented seamstress, cook, and crafter.
The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the skilled doctors and nurses at Research Medical Center, University of California – San Francisco, KU Medical Center, and the St. Luke’s Hospital Hospice team. These last three years, we have been enveloped in the warmth and support of so many friends and family who helped care for Carol.
Carol is survived by her husband Gerard; daughter Annie (Tim Fetter); son John (Maddy Poletis); granddaughter, Campbell Fetter; sister and best friend Connie Green; and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, inlaws, the Tulay family, and extended family. We will forever miss her but will honor her legacy by living our lives to the fullest. A visitation will be held at Holy Spirit Parish, 11300 W. 103rd St., Overland Park, KS, on Thursday, June 4, from 9:30-11 a.m. with the Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, our family would be honored by any donations made in Carol’s memory to Harvesters, the Community Food Network (www.harvesters.org). Condolences expressed at: www. porterfuneralhome.com