When Carolyn Tarbox was born on 14 December 1962, in Wasco, Kern, California, United States, her father, Lewis Russell Tarbox, was 36 and her mother, Marilyn West, was 30. She grew up and attended school in Barstow, California, graduating from Barstow High School in 1981. She played the flute in the band, sang in the choir, and was on the yearbook staff in high school.

 In the fall of 1981, she went to Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, as a broadcast communications major. She worked at the college radio station while attending there. During her summer break from college she met and married David Eugene Kelly on 4 November 1983, in Barstow, California. David, a member of the U.S. Army, was stationed at Fort Irwin at the time.  She lived for a time in Germany in 1984 while David was deployed there. 

After Carolyn and David separated, she came back to Barstow, where she attended Barstow Community College. She completed her Associates of Arts degree in Humanities at BCC in 1991 but continued to take classes and contribute to the programs there.  She was a member of The BCC choir from Spring of 2012 to the spring of 2018.  And she was a member of the BCC Performing Arts Club from the spring of 2013 to the spring of 2018.  Carolyn was chosen as the Barstow Community College performing arts club's Spotlight Member of the Year for the spring of 2014.

Carolyn loved all kinds of media and entertainment, including books, music, movies, and TV shows. She was always up on pop culture. Whether it was a sci-fi pic or a Broadway musical, she either saw it or knew about it. She loved all genres of music from the hard rock bands of her youth to some country music in her later years. Even if it wasn't her favorite, she still appreciated it.

Carolyn was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She worked in the Young Women’s Organization (for girls ages 12 -18) as an advisor in the Barstow Ward.   And she was the craft coordinator and a counselor at stake girls camp over a 10-year period. When the young women from church would greet her, they never used her last name.  She was always just “Carolyn”. 

Carolyn also served as a Library Assistant at the Family History Center in Barstow.  And in one of her most important acts of service, she was one of her mother’s caretakers in her declining years.

Advanced education was an important part of her life.  She studied Psychology at Chapman University, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in 2008. She completed a Master’s Degree in Psychology at Chapman’s Brandman University, in 2021.

At the time of her passing, Carolyn was working as Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, Associate Professional Clinical Counselor at Covenant Behavioral Health in San Bernardino, California. 

Carolyn once told a family member that she felt that she needed to be a part of the lives of her nieces and nephews.  She wanted them to know that she cared about them.  And she accomplished that goal.  Carolyn was an involved and loving Aunt to her many nieces and nephews. And she was like a second mother to her sister, Marlene’s, boys with whom she lived a good portion of her life.  She crocheted many treasured baby blankets for the children born into the family.   Although she had no children of her own, she is remembered by them with much love and affection. Her boisterous laugh and jokes were a part of who she was and will be missed.

Carolyn died on 3 April 2025, at Saint Bernardine’s Hospital in San Bernardino, California, United States, at the age of 62.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/carolyn-tarbox-kelly/obituary/

Copy