Carol Vollum Morphew died Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007, at Avamere/Heart of the Valley in Corvallis, Ore.

The third daughter of Alfred and Alma Vollum, Carol was born in Minneapolis on June 16, 1923, as the family was moving their residence from Montana to Albert Lea.

Carol grew up in Albert Lea amidst extended family that included grandparents and 25 cousins, many of whom lived on farms in the area. Her Grandmother Robinson lived with them and spoke only Norwegian. Carol&8217;s Norwegian heritage was important to her and she regretted that she did not leam Norwegian when she was growing up.

Carol graduated from Albert Lea High School and attended Iowa State Teachers College (renamed the University of Northern Iowa) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for two years. She decided teaching was not for her. She left college and married her college sweetheart, Dick Morphew. They began life together in Tipton, Iowa, where Dick taught high school English and algebra. They lived for a few years in Owatonna, but spent most of their adult years in Minneapolis and suburbs. They were married for 33 years. Dick preceded her in death in 1977.

Carol and Dick raised their two children in Minneapolis and Edina where they were involved in the community and supported children&8217;s activities such as Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Little League Baseball. Carol loved music, especially jazz, orchestral music and the Big Band sound. She enjoyed travel and attended Elder Hostels as a way to expand her horizons in retirement. She really, really liked chocolate.

Carol was quite artistic. She appreciated the visual arts, and she was an accomplished seamstress. She knit Norwegian sweaters and designed needle point canvases. One of her finest accomplishments was the design of the kneeling cushions for the Episcopal Church in Albert Lea. Carol patterned the kneelers after the stained glass windows in the church and when complete, they were truly spectacular. She was also proud that she learned to swim &8212; really swim &8212; after the age of 60.

Carol liked to read, especially historical novels, and she enjoyed poetry.

She will also be remembered for her enjoyment of gardening. She loved flowers and she liked to visit the Conservatory at Como Park in the middle of the winter. She was a supporter of the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. She volunteered time there and often took friends and family who were visiting from out of town to walk in the Arboretum. She loved chocolate. Especially Hershey bars.

Carol was a good friend. She kept up with school friends, made friends with two Australian couples on a tour of Norway that she corresponded with for years, kept up her friendships with her sewing club – a group of neighbors who began meeting in the 1950s. She had friends from Owatonna and from Lynmar Lane. She made friends at Scandia Shores in Shoreview, where she lived for 5 years and she made friends in Corvallis, Ore., where she spent the last two and one half years of her life. Hers was a huge Christmas card list.

Carol was concerned for the community good. She was a &8220;Homegrown Democrat&8221; in the Garrison Keillor tradition. For many years she worked at the polls during elections. In her later years she became a member of Grandmothers for Peace. And oh, gosh, but she did love chocolate.

Carol&8217;s membership at Mt Olivet Lutheran Church was meaningful to her. She especially loved the Christmas Eve service, a service she attended for many, many years.

She had a collection of recipes that surpasses the imagination &8212; she had six different Gazpacho soup recipes. From time to time she even made some of those recipes to serve to family and friends or just to sample. She especially liked to make soups and salads, but the best recipe in her collection was for &8212; you guessed it &8212; chocolate chip cookies!

Carol loved her family, especially her granddaughters, and … she had a passion for chocolate.

Carol is survived by her daughter and son and spouses, Lynne and Steve Neville of Corvallis, Ore., and Rick and Patsy Morphew of Arden Hills, and granddaughters Kate Neville of Seattle, Shaina Morphew of Minneapolis, Kristen and Cara Morphew ofArden Hills.

A memorial celebration of her life will take place at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, 5025 Knox Ave. S., Minneapolis. Memorial gifts may be sent to the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318.