Carol Jan Hoch, 67, of Olathe, KS, formerly of Gardner, KS passed away surrounded by loved ones on Jan. 9, 2020 at Evergreen Community of Johnson County. Visitation will be held at 10:00 am Jan. 30, 2020 with the Memorial Service following at 11:30 am all at Bruce Funeral Home, 106 S. Center, Gardner, KS (913) 856-7111. Inurnment will be at a later date in Memorial Park Cemetery, Tulsa, OK. Memorial contributions may be made to the Evergreen Community of Johnson County. Condolences may be left at www.brucefuneralhome.com
Carol was born Jan. 2, 1953 in Tulsa, OK to Clayton and Jaqueline (Gibbons) Lewis. She grew up in Tulsa, married then moved to Gardner in 1974 and later moved to Olathe in 2015. Carol graduated from Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, OK. She earned her BS in Speech Correction and Deaf Education from USA of O. Carol lived in Gardner for 40 years where she was the owner/operator of Hoch’s Dari Freeze (a very popular local Gardner hangout) for 18 years. She later worked at Smoker’s Outlet in Paola until 2015. Carol enjoyed sewing, swinging at the park and collecting M & M candies themed items and loved penguins and cardinals. She loved lighthouses which stemmed from her love of visiting her father’s family in Maine. One of her favorite things to do was to spend quality time with family. Carol also enjoyed many activities at Evergreen Community where she resided, including bingo, painting and crafting. She loved being social; her smile and laugh would light up the room and she was known to give the best hugs. Carol attended First Presbyterian Church in Gardner. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister-in-law Patricia Lewis. Carol is survived by her daughter Gina and husband Justin Long of Gardner, KS; son Eric and wife Wendy Hoch of Olathe, KS; siblings: Mark Lewis of Polk City, FL, Kit Warren (Don) of Lamar AR, Lynne Ledbetter (Michael) of The Woodlands, TX; her former husband Tony Hoch of Lawrence, KS; grandchildren: Hayes, Jakob, Kaylie and Nora; cousins and nieces and nephews.