Name: Celebration of Life for Colleen Carkeet Bill
Start: 2022-07-02T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2022-07-02T04:00:00.000Z
Location: Great American Grill

Colleen Carkeet Bill
December 28, 1930 - June 19, 2022
Turlock, California - On June 19, 2022, Colleen Carkeet Bill passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by family. She was 91 years old. Colleen was preceded in death by her parents, Stephen and Mary Carkeet, her brother Stephen Carkeet, her husband Tom Bill, son Stan Bill, and daughter Julia Bill. She is survived by her brother Stanley Carkeet (Jeannie), sister-in-law Donna Carkeet, daughter-in-law Lori Bill, daughter Katie Day (David), daughter Sally Paulson (Greg), son David Bill (Patti), and Amy Houghtaling (Ed), as well as her AFS Exchange Student Son, Camilo Uribe Zapata of Bogota, Colombia. Colleen was blessed with a large family that now includes thirteen grandchildren: Matt Bill (Jackie), Grayson Bill (Cecily), Alec Day, Devin Day, Sarah Day, Tim Paulson, Emily Alvarez (Juan), Jeremy Paulson, Hailey Schademan (Ryan), Blake Bill, Zoe Bill, Ariana Houghtaling, Genevieve Houghtaling, and Colombian AFS grandchild Maria Uribe Aranguren. Colleen was also blessed to have two great grandchildren: Sadie Bill (Matt/Jackie) and Miles David Schademan (Hailey/Ryan). She lived to know that great grandchild number three, from granddaughter Emily Alvarez and her husband Juan, would be arriving soon.
Colleen was raised in Turlock where she received an excellent education that included school plays, in which she enjoyed acting and often played the lead. This love of acting carried into her adult life through community theater before stepping away to raise her growing family.
Colleen became involved in AFS in 1982, hosting and placing students with families in the Turlock area for many years. She especially enjoyed counseling students and fostering relationships, continuing to communicate with many to very late in her life.
With her husband Tom, Colleen enjoyed tennis, family vacations, and world travel. Colleen was a lifelong learner and loved the game of bridge, playing regularly to very late in her life. She missed bridge club and spoke of the game and her bridge friends often. A natural counselor, everyone knew they could talk to Colleen and get excellent advice and true compassion. From grandchildren to caregivers, everyone could talk to Colleen. She imparted so much wisdom in her long life.
Colleen's family will inter her ashes privately, but invite you to join them in a Celebration of Life open house on July 1st, 2022 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, at the Great American Grill, located at 19920 First Street in Hilmar.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Modesto Bee on Jun. 26, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for Colleen Carkeet Bill

6 Entries

Dennis Barrett

July 1, 2022

Colleen was like a second mom to me in the 60's and early 70's. Lived across the street from the Bill's in those days. Sorely missed by all. Thank you for all you did for me. God bless.

Brian and May Carkeet

Sent Flowers

Diane Bohlender-Thomas

June 27, 2022

May your memories be a source of comfort.

Jessica Mayle

June 27, 2022

Sending my deepest condolences to all the Bill´s family. She may rest in peace and my prayers goes with you and beyond. You will be truly missed Mrs. Bill.

Gary and Pam Ludwig

June 26, 2022

Colleen is my 2nd cousin and her knowledge of family history was amazing. We received so much information from her about family in New Zealand and beyond. She will be missed.

Mauricio Ramirez Zúñiga

June 26, 2022

My dearest and beloved Tia Colleen Carkeet Bill; I just returned to Chile from the United States, where I was doing a postgraduate degree in Washington.

This morning, at the exit of the platform, I was received by my son José Pedro, who you met when he was a baby, now 8 years old, with a big hug full of love, like the one you gave me the last time we met in Turlock, which made me understand that all this great academic effort, had been worth it, a conjugation of feelings, which nourish our soul, and that allow us to continue growing day by day both as a person and as a professional.

For some reason, since yesterday, I came with a tight heart, I felt that something had happened, and that was how I began to go through my life story, trying to understand and size how the stars were able to align, to fulfill this dream of sharing my knowledge and nourishing myself with the wisdom of great and recognized Jurists, in a language and culture that you helped me to know and integrate.

That's how I returned on a mental journey to my adolescence, when that skinny and brown teenager, we arrived with Pierpaolo Sogliani, to our beloved Turlock, in which we had the fortune of meeting and living with wonderful people, both with only 17 years of age.

We both fell into your hands, sponsored, loved and guided, by people out of series, as were our Uncle Tom Bill and you.

You were pillars in our experience and in that of many other young people, with your advice, affection and wisdom, which allowed friend PierPaolo, to be one of the Carkett family and in my case, with my beloved Gemperle family.

Certainly, my story was not simple, because of my tireless energy and character, but I managed to integrate as one more, with my always beloved host parents Ernie and Anamarie, and my brothers, especially Steve and Mike, who opened the doors of their home and their hearts to me, despite my rebellious and restless soul, accepting me and loving me, as one of them.

But always, you were behind, taking care of me and loving me, as you did to this day, our guardian angel, our beloved Tia Collen, with your patience, affection and infinite love, just like Uncle Tom, impregnating our young souls with values and principles, which we both always carry in our hearts.

Many years have passed, we have always been in contact, and life allowed us to become professionals and, in my case, to form a family with my wonderful son José Pedro.

Perhaps, it was because of all that, that when he was born, I made the decision to invite my Parents Pedro and Bessi along with the family I had formed and my son was only one year old.

We took a flight to Los Angeles in 2014, without warning them, to make it a surprise, but being on the way, I called them and learned that my second Parents Ernie and Anamarie, had left for the afterlife, which was an immense blow for me. But again, there was you, giving me comfort, affection and love.

My heart appeased their grief when my brothers Mike Gemperle and Stephen Gemperle, welcomed us with their beautiful families, in the house we had shared and through them, we thanked all the love that their parents and they gave me selflessly, at that important stage of my life.

And there, you were as always my beloved Tia Colleen, I introduced you to my parents and my family, we shared, we hugged and we thanked, not only for what you did for me, but also, for many other exchange students who were able to welcome, in that beautiful Shire, on the other side of the world, called Turlock, where I began a path, a story, which I continue to write to this day.

Thus, with you, I learned to speak and think in English, to integrate your values and principles that today are part of my being.

And perhaps, one is unable to see clearly these exceptional souls that surround us, that support us, take care of us, love us and teach us, until that day comes, that we simply lose them.

With my great friend Pierpaolo Italiano, we have not seen each other for more than 30 years, but you have always continued to combine us.

And just now, that I was going to rest from this long journey, Pierpaolo writes to me, telling me that yesterday, you went to take care of us from the depths of the Universe, after 92 years of dedication, generosity and affection.

Well, I want to dedicate my academic achievement to my beloved Uncle Tom, Tia Colleen, Mom Anamarie and Dad Ernie Gemperle, who today look at us and take care of us from heaven, I want to send you from the depths of my heart, that hug and feeling that I had this morning, when my beloved José Pedro, squeezed me with all his strength, full of love, so that, when you are in the encounter with our Heavenly Father, you will continue to be happy to have planted seeds of love throughout the world, in many of us scattered throughout the world, who today fight, to make a better world, in our lands, in our families and in our sociaty.
A hug to heaven my beloved Tia Collen, with my smile that you liked so much and that I will try to keep until we meet again in another dimension.

With all my love,

Mauri