Carolyn Dill

Celebrating the Life of Carolyn Dill

July 7, 1937 – January 28, 2026

Carolyn was born on July 7, 1937, to Angus and Pauline Evans in Santa Fe, NM. She had one brother, Donald, and a half-brother and sister. She also had a brother, Stanley, who was the oldest but passed away before she was born. As a child, Carolyn spent most of her time with her mother and grandmother, and they lived off of very little money. Carolyn attended Albuquerque High School and then the University of New Mexico (UNM) for three years. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi, where she worked as a bookkeeper while living there. After three years of dating, she married Robert James Dill on November 7, 1958. One year later, their son, Rick, was born in 1959.

Carolyn worked at a bank and in payroll at Sandia Laboratories. In 1962, Carolyn and Jim moved to Colorado and had two more children: Robyn in 1964 and Wendi in 1966. Carolyn enrolled in travel school and then took a job at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she was a secretary in the English and History departments and an administrative assistant to the vice chancellor. She also worked on the side as a travel agent. Carolyn retired from CU in 1993 but stayed in Colorado for a few years to be with her grandson, Jeremy, while her husband, Jim, moved to New Jersey for his job. Carolyn and Jim had a long-distance marriage before she joined him in Hamburg, NJ, where they lived in a golfing community at Crystal Springs.

Carolyn was a very active golfer, bridge player, and the president of the women's league, later forming a 9-hole ladies' league. Golf was her favorite sport to play and watch, along with football; she loved her Colorado Denver Broncos. Carolyn also loved to cook; she and Jim specialized in New-Mexico-inspired flavors and had several of their recipes published in a local newspaper.

Carolyn was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002 and started chemotherapy. She and Jim stayed in NJ for about 11 years, then moved to Fairview, TX, seeking good medical care and culture, and to watch their grandchildren in Dallas grow up. They were also able to be closer to their daughter Wendi, her husband Jeff, and baby grandchildren Sam (born in 2002) and Lydia (born in 2003), who lived in Plano. Carolyn and Jim lived in an active adult community at Heritage Ranch and continued with her chemotherapy. Carolyn continued to stay active throughout her journey, serving as president of their Travel Club. They traveled on 41 cruises, visited over 72 countries, and had many close friends they spent time with. Some of her favorite travel destinations included Germany, Hawaii, and the Douro River in Portugal.

Carolyn's journey with cancer wasn't over. She was next diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery to remove it. After 20 years living at Heritage Ranch, it was time to move to their final destination at Highland Springs in Erickson Senior Living in 2022, where several of their friends had also moved. Carolyn's cancer journey continued with more bad news—lymphoma—requiring surgery and more chemo. The lymphoma diagnosis was in the summer of 2024, and she endured chemotherapy from August to January. Carolyn kept a positive attitude, enjoying all her grandchildren's events with Sam and Lydia, and watching on television with great joy if she couldn't attend. She stayed in touch with grandchildren, her daughter and son-in-law, and great-grandchildren, all so cherished back in Colorado. After being sick off and on, and being clear of cancer for about 8 months, Carolyn was given her final cancer diagnosis: leukemia, which was diagnosed in August of 2025. She received care from hospice nurses, visits from Jeff, Sam, and Lydia, and her daughter Robyn traveled back and forth from Colorado several times to care for her mom. Carolyn kept her hopes, positive attitude, and some goals she wanted to accomplish. She was determined to see her granddaughter's senior recital, which took place in October 2025. She reached that goal with the help of Robyn, her daughter, and Jeff, her son-in-law. The next goal was having one more Christmas with the Dallas family, which was always a tradition for them.

After the holiday, Carolyn's mind and body became very weak. Robyn made one trip out in January to spend what was probably the last time they would have together. Carolyn took her last breath on January 28, 2026, in the evening at home peacefully, with her husband, Jim, and hospice caregivers.

Carolyn was predeceased by her parents; her brothers, Donald Evans and Stanley; her brother-in-law, Dick Longman; her son, Rick Dill; her daughter, Wendi (Dill) Taylor; and her grandchild, Grace Dill.

She is survived by her husband, Jim Dill; her daughter, Robyn (Dill) Russell, and husband, Mike; her sister-in-law, Nancy Longman; a half-brother and sister; her nephews, Stuart and Matthew Longman; five grandchildren: Jeremy Ryder (and partner Jessica Buttrey), Sandi Pastore (and husband Jon), Emma (Cavcey) Dehner (and husband Kevin), Sam Taylor, and Lydia Taylor; and six great-grandchildren.

Jim, Robyn, and the family want to send special thanks to all those who sent prayers, cards, and goodies for Carolyn, and for all the care she received from her caregivers, family in Dallas, and friends. This has meant so much to us and is much appreciated.

A memorial service will take place on February 21st at 11:00 am at Custer Road United Methodist Church (CRUMc) in Plano, TX. Donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.