Carol looked forward to and enjoyed every reunion from 1999 to 2024 with the exception of 2004 in St. Louis.  That year she stayed home to help her daughter Tina with her new baby Megan.

Carol Anne (Griswold) Gammeter passed away peacefully on February 10, 2025. Born on October 26, 1939, in Los Angeles, California, Carol grew up with her father Roy, and her mother, Maudie, whom she adored. Carol attended Overland Ave. elementary school and Hamilton high school, where she was active in choir and made many life-long friends.  She attended Stanford University, where she earned a BA degree in English with a minor in History, and stayed a fifth year to receive a master’s in education.

After completing her graduate degree, she returned home to Arcadia, California where she taught elementary school.  One summer afternoon, she met a handsome young naval officer named Warren Gammeter, known to his friends as Skip.  For the couple’s first date, they went to see Ella Fitzgerald and found the music and the company so delightful they stayed for both shows, and their romance continued through the summer. When Skip’s ship sailed for Japan that fall, they continued their courtship through letters. By the time he returned eight months later, they knew they were meant to be together and were soon engaged and then married on August 1, 1964.

Warren was able to complete his Naval service at the School’s Command Treasure Island, so the couple moved to San Mateo, California, which would remain their home for the next 60 years. They soon bought a small house on Monterey Street, which they painted and lovingly repaired themselves.

1967 brought big changes, as their first daughter, Laura Kathleen, arrived in December. They also got an adorable, if perhaps slightly mischievous, beagle puppy they named Augustus Gammeter, known to all as Gus.  The family grew once more in 1970, with the addition of their second daughter, Christina Linnell.  After looking for years for a bigger house with a nice view, they moved a few blocks up the hill to Verdun Avenue, where they still reside today.

While Carol was no longer teaching in the classroom, her passion for education was by no means idle. She was very active in the girls’ school communities, serving as PTA president at both Meadow Heights Elementary and later, at Hillsdale High School.  Carol spent countless hours volunteering and made many wonderful and lifelong friends during these years. She served as the leader for each of the girls’ Camp Fire troops and created a beautiful home and hosted many happy holidays and memorable special events.  This chapter also included vacations to Stanford Sierra Camp, which Carol spent painting, hiking, sailing, playing tennis and enjoying new and lasting friendships.  It was during this time that Carol joined an aerobic dance exercise class that she was devoted to well into her seventies.

The girls grew up and both attended Santa Clara University, eventually getting married and starting families of their own.  Carol adored each of her four grandchildren – Matthew, William, Megan and Emily.  She was extremely proud of each of them and their accomplishments, and her role as a grandma brought her immeasurable joy.  Carol and Skip enjoyed a retirement full of travel and adventures, seeing much of the world through trips to Europe and cruises to countless foreign destinations. Time spent in London was always a favorite. 

Carol lived a full and wonderful life, and she will be greatly missed by her family and many friends.  She is survived by her loving husband of 60 years, Warren, her daughters, Laura Duncan and Christina Gattey, son-in-law Darin Duncan, and four grandchildren, Matthew, William, Megan and Emily.

If you would like to make a gift in Carol’s memory, you can donate to the Meadow Heights Elementary School Parent Teacher Association at www.meadowheights.org/donate, and click on the red Donate button.