About Carol
About Carol
She was born Carol Dee Cole in Omaha, Nebraska on December 31, 1945 to Orval and Virginia. She grew up and attended schools in Bellevue and Omaha, graduating from Westside High School in 1964. She then attended The University of Omaha, majoring in Social Work before moving to California at age 20. Her first job was as a finance clerk at Johns-Manville in Corona. At age 22 she met and married Donald Poole. A year later Carol and Don became parents with the birth of their daughter Sue. Seven months later Carol was widowed when her husband died in a motorcycle accident.
A photograph of Carol and Don with their daughter.
Raising her daughter alone, in 1974 Carol began volunteering in her daughter Sue's kindergarten class at George Washington Elementary school in Riverside. She also was a volunteer at Parkview Community Hospital. While Sue was in third grade Carol went back to work as a bookkeeper at Bonnett Pipe & Supply in Riverside. In 1976 and 1981 she would lose both her sisters Andy and Gini to cancer. When her daughter was in 6th grade Carol resumed her studies at the University of California, Riverside majoring in Computer Science. In 1981 she remarried and soon she had another daughter. Around the same time Carol started Creative Telesystems, a telecommunications company. As chief financial officer she received the Riverside Chamber of Commerce Golden Eagle award. From 1992 to 1995 she was property manager for W. D. Bell Inc. in Riverside.
In 1994 she was also very active in PTA--as Treasurer and newsletter editor for the Cherry Tree, on the Riverside council PTA board and served on several committees for the Riverside Unified School District as PTA liaison in areas of health and safety, as V. P. of Community Concerns and led a PTA blood drive. She was also in charge of costuming for the Washington Elementary school production of The Wizard of Oz. Even though her daughters were no longer attending Washington Elementary she volunteered in Mrs. Wills' and Mrs. Stine's 2nd & 3rd grade classroom, including writing and receiving a grant for eight field trips.
In 1995 Carol learned she had cancer and underwent treatment. She left her job at W. D. Bell Inc. and the focus of her life became the kids at Washington Elementary school and the PTA. In May of 1997 she was nominated Riverside Council PTA President. As the cancer ravaged her body she tried to resign as President but the council refused to accept her resignation. On December 18, 1997 she received the Golden Oak Service Award and a standing ovation. She smiled in appreciation but was unable to speak due to the extent of her illness.
On December 30, 1997, the day before her 52nd birthday, Carol died after battling cancer for three years. In her memory teachers Mrs. Wills and Mrs. Stine have planted an enormous garden of plants and flowers at Washington Elementary near their classroom. And her friends Tammie Blackmore, Charlotte Kaukani and Regina Crouse established The Carol Rude Community Service Scholarship.
P.S. She loved daisies.
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Last updated: 07-11-2024