Obituary for Carolyn Kim Arnold
Arnold, Carolyn Kim (nee Hrabluk), 63, of Oakville, ON., completed her life’s adventures on March 30, 2020. Born December 16, 1956, Carolyn loved family dinners around the big oak table, road trips, gentle teasing, shoulder-shaking laughter (often initiated by the teasing), high tea, cold beers, walks in the woods near her house and by the lake, roller coasters, watching hockey games, money management, factory sales, craft shows, debating politics, and imagining extra scenes in movies so they’d all have happy endings. A perfect day for Carolyn was when she got to do some combination of these things in the company of her children, Daniel and Jenny, who she loved with every fibre of her being and who made her beam with pride; with her loving husband Jim, who predeceased her in 2002; her parents, Matt and Fran Hrabluk; her sisters Kathy Hrabluk (Ken Nelson) and Lisa Hrabluk (Michael Hawkins); her nephew Matt Hickey; her nieces Kim Hickey and Alexandra Hawkins; aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family; and numerous friends. Carolyn was born and raised in Mississauga, went to Lorne Park Secondary School, where she met life-long friends, including Barb Milroy (Arnold), who was with her through all of life’s ups and downs. In Carolyn’s early years, she went to university (U of T), met Jim, got a job with TD Bank, got married, bought a house and set about building a life with Jim, Daniel and Jenny, first in Streetsville and then in Oakville. Then Jim got sick. After Jim died of ALS, Carolyn decided at 47 to go back to university to earn a B.Ed. (York), a mid-life change chosen to give her a career with meaning. She wrote curriculum for the Ontario Ministry of Education, edited a textbook and took on leadership roles in the school district and her school. Her true passion was her students and Carolyn enjoyed sharing her love of financial literacy, Excel worksheets and class trips to the Toronto Stock Exchange with her students at St. Martin High School in Mississauga, where she also coached the badminton team and the cheerleading squad. With Daniel and Jenny she embarked on a series of adventures, to Canada’s East Coast, Quebec, around Ontario and out to B.C., Arizona, Washington State, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Great Britain and Australia, each beginning with a trip through the drive-through, a home-packed snack bag of goodies and a detailed daily itinerary. “Grief,” she often told her children, “will be life altering, but does not have to be life shattering”. Six months after Carolyn’s devastating cancer diagnosis, our hearts are broken, our lives forever altered. COVID-19 will indefinitely delay a group celebration of Carolyn’s life. In lieu of flowers and getting together, brew a perfect cup of tea or pour an ice cold drink and whisper good intentions and warm memories skyward. Donations can also be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, the ALS Society or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Carolyn Kim
Arnold 1956 2020..
skinner and middlebrook funeral home
Death notice for the town of: Mississauga, Province: Ontario
An incredibly kind, compassionate, and ever patient teacher Ms. Arnold inspired me to work hard and to have confidence in myself. She was a real teacher, she really wanted you to succeed. Your memory will live on in the hearts of students you inspired, thank you for everything.