Carolyn Hope Hamlin Koftan died on July 25, 2021 in Kanas City, Missouri.  She was born September 30, 1942 in Pittsburg, Kansas to Orrin (Coffey) and Josephine Hoppel Hamlin.  Carolyn’s parents,  sister Susan Meares,  brother, Orrin (Ken) Hamlin II and husband LeRoy Koftan are deceased.

Carolyn attended school in Coffeyville and Manhattan, Kansas. She graduated from Manhattan High School in 1960. She then graduated with an associate degree from Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri. Her Bachelor Degree in Education was obtained from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.  In 1980, Carolyn earned her Masters Degree in Cooperative Urban Teacher Education while teaching full-time as an elementary teacher at Francis Willard Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas. She taught hundreds of children in the Kansas City School District over her thirty-plus years in education. While teaching, she was a well- recognized lobbyist for the Kansas Education Association.

One of Carolyn’s biggest joys was as a camp counselor for Royal Family Kid’s Camp; a camp for disadvantaged and foster children.  Her brother, Ken Hamlin, and sister-in-law, Sandy, were founders in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Crafting, ceramics, and painting were Carolyn’s hobbies.  In 2016, one of her paintings was chosen for display in the magazine The State of Seniors’ Housing by the American Seniors Housing Association.

Survivors include nieces Melissa Hamlin Koch, Kansas City, and Heather Hamlin Peterson, Linden, California; nephews Doug Meares, Aurora, Colorado and David Meares, Littleton, Colorado; brother-in-law George Meares, Highland Ranch, Colorado; sister-in-law Sandy Hamlin, St. Joseph, Missouri.

Cremation at Porter and Sons Funeral Home, Lenexa, Kansas .  A graveside service will be held at a later date.