Carole Nadine Brown (Lundemo)

January 14, 1935 – November 15, 2021

Carole Nadine Brown passed away on Monday, November 15, 2021 in Spokane Valley Washington at Pine Ridge Alzheimer's Special Care Center.  Her son and daughter were with her at the end.

Carole was born in Spirit Lake Idaho January 14, 1935 to Carl and Clara Lundemo.  The family moved to Coeur d' Alene Idaho where Carole spent most of her youth.  They moved to Spokane Washington for her senior year in high school.  She graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1953.  Carole then attended Kinman Business University where she studied business skills.  After graduation, she went to work at Washington Water power Company (Avista).

Carole married N. Keith Shawlee in May 1955.  They had two children, Cheryl and Kendall.  They lived in Seattle Washington until 1963 when Carole and the children moved back to Spokane.  She restarted her career at Washington Water Power (WWP) where she worked until she retired in 1996 from the Intercompany Pool (ICP) department.

It was at WWP where she met the love of her life, Rodney G. Brown.  They married in October 1980.  From then until he passed in 1994, their lives were filled with lots of adventures with friends – cruising, wine tasting, camping, RVing, house boating on Lake Roosevelt, fishing and always love…lots of love.

After Rod's passing, Carole entered a new chapter in her life, giving back to others through volunteering.  Carole's no-nonsense leadership benefited many organizations in the Spokane area.  From the Ronald McDonald House (13 years) to the Corbin Senior Center (Board member for 10+ years), to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP – Advisory Council and volunteer for 20+ years) to the YMCA (Board member) to the now defunct PED (Prevention, Education and Development) where Carole was Board President and Executive director.  Carole also performed important work for the Spokane County Superior Court Guardianship Monitoring Program.  During her time with the YMCA, Carole was named Volunteer of the Year.  She was also named the Inland Empire Volunteer of the Year in 2017.  Carole always said "Volunteering is a great thing to do because you're helping people and making new friends.  You're meeting people from different circles of life."

Carole was also a big sports fan.  She was an avid bowler for many years, bowling for the Washington Waterpower team at Diamond Bowl.  In addition, she faithfully followed Washington State University football, traveling to see many games in person in Pullman.  She was also a die-hard Gonzaga basketball fan cheering the Zags on from her living room.

Carole was also a long-time member of Beta Sigma Phi almost reaching 50 years of membership.  While a member, Carole served in many capacities included chapter President (for several chapters) as well as Council President.  She was also a member of Trailblazers, an active retirement group for WWP (Avista) as well as the Red Hat Society.

Carole is survived by her younger brother Kenneth Lundemo of Spokane Valley Washington, her daughter, Cheryl Shawlee (and Joe Herr) of Edmonds, Washington, her son Kendall Shawlee of Spokane Valley, Washington her grandson, Kanaan Shawlee of Spokane Valley, Washington and her niece, Jennifer Forbes of California.

Carole will be missed by her family, her friends and former co-workers.  Flowers can be sent in her memory to Pine Ridge Alzheimer's Special Care Center in Spokane.  Donations can be made in her name to Corbin Senior Center or Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) both in Spokane Washington.

A celebration of life is planned for Friday January 14,2022 at 2PM at the Corbin Senior Activity Center 827 W. Cleveland, Spokane, WA 99205