Carolyn Mae Busenhart-Bohr

1941 - 2016

Carolyn Mae (Zuckswert) Busenhart-Bohr
May 9, 1941 - Sept. 22, 2016
Santa Cruz County
Carolyn Busenhart-Bohr lost her battle to COPD after successfully battling 3 bouts of lung cancer. To all who knew Carolyn, she was fierce in spirit, a loyal friend, had a huge heart and no qualms about speaking her mind and sticking up for causes she believed worthy.
Carolyn was Santa Cruz from head to toe, her passions being her family, doing hair, her friends and politics. At the age of 17, she earned her Cosmetology license and in spite of a shattered shoulder as well as the lung cancer, did hair for the next 56 years until she broke her hip in 2014.
She adored her only child, Lisa, and two granddaughters, Erica and Kylie. As a mom, she was known by all her daughter's friends as the "cool mom" who allowed lots of social activities at the house, the acquisition of numerous animals and hosted the best birthday parties. Carolyn loved to sew and made many matching outfits for herself and Lisa as well as bridesmaids dresses for several family members' and friends' weddings. She was often heard saying, "I can make it better and for less" and she did. She was also somewhat adventurous, taking up gymnastics and skiing at the age of 29. As a grandmother, she doted on Erica and Kylie like crazy. Carolyn made many matching outfits for the girls, sewed nearly every Halloween costume they desired and absolutely loved Christmas time, showering the girls with presents. She loved all things Disney and was often sporting her Mickey Mouse clothing. She was a great cook and loved to make pies and "cookie cutters", a family recipe. She also spent a considerable amount of time planning daily activities for the girls when they would stay with her for the summer, never shying away from the roller coaster rides at the Boardwalk. Carolyn was also a very talented artist, creating many beautiful oil paintings throughout the years.
In 1981 she met her husband Vernon Bohr Jr. on her birthday, which also happened to be his birthday as well. Together they became a dynamic duo in business ventures and politics. And then true to their spunky nature, Carolyn and Vernon got married on their joint birthday several years later in Reno at a drive through wedding chapel – a quirky experience they loved to joke about. When it came to local politics, Carolyn's energy and fervor were unequaled. A staunch, lifelong Republican, she'd pick up the County preliminary budget books every year and go over them with a fine tooth comb. As a fierce taxpayer advocate, she successfully led an effort to get the County Supervisors to rescind CSA 38, something never before heard of nor ever successfully done, for which she was named Soquel Woman of the Year in 1986. The fight to rescind CSA 38 was just one of the many successful political campaigns fought by Carolyn. In 2002, she was also elected to the Republican Central Committee. In addition, though she never won, she also ran for County Supervisor on several occasions, with her last run taking place in 2008 while battling her second round of lung cancer.
The spirit of Carolyn shall be long remembered and truly missed by those who knew and loved her. Giving to the end, Carolyn donated her body to science. Carolyn is preceded in death by her three siblings and is survived by her husband Vernon Bohr Jr., daughter, Lisa Riordan, and granddaughters, Erica and Kylie Riordan. Carolyn was the best mom a daughter could ask for; the best grandma any kid could hope for; and a loving wife to her husband Vernon.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating your time to those in nursing homes. Of special mention is Kindred Nursing and Transitional Care in Santa Cruz. They took great care of Carolyn during her stay in their rehab unit.
A memorial mass will be held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Capitola at 1:00pm on Dec. 29, 2016. For questions email Vernon@vernonsplace.net or call (831) 440-8766. Additional info about Carolyn will be posted at www.charismastylingsalon.com.


View the online memorial for Carolyn Mae  (Zuckswert) Busenhart-Bohr