Grandmother

On my fathers side, my grandmother, Caroline Janet Burkhart, was born on

March 10, 1929 in Eagle Rock, California (LA). As a child, she enjoyed music,
specifically the piano. By age ten, she had already begun to teach piano to local kids in
neighborhood. She started babysitting a year later, due to her young maturity. When the
parents of some of the children she babysat discovered she was younger than their
children, they were too embarrassed to keep her as a babysitter. She was very intelligent
and was advanced a year in elementary school. After high school, she attended UCLA
and majored in music. After obtaining a teaching credential, she traveled to Germany for
a year, to teach American military students. She met her future husband, through her
brother Noel. Noel Reed met Raymond Burkhart in during his time in Navy. They both
served in World War II, and Noel ended up saving Raymonds life. In 1960, Raymond
and Caroline married. Then, a year later their first son, name after his father, was born. In
1962, their second son, Reed, was born. As a mother, she was gave endless amounts of
love and received much returned love. She supported her children in whatever they did,
without pressure or judgment. She had a strong presence serving her community
involving herself as a schoolteacher, church organ player and leader, as well as spending
time as a piano accompanist for local singers and choir. One major achievement she had
in her community was helping enact the state legislation that resulted in a new elementary
school being built in Red Bluff, California. She worked until the very end, where she lost
to colon cancer at age 74. Her loss was difficult for everyone around her, but her love
lives on in every person she touched.