Carol Leigh Ammon passed away on March 21, 2022 in Red Bluff, where she was a resident of 20 years. She was born on August 7, 1951 to Ardith and Louis McConnell in Hoopa, and was the youngest of 8 siblings. Her siblings were David, William, Howard “Louie”, Michael, Mary, Nora, and Robert “Bob” McConnell.

She was a proud Yurok woman and spent her life spreading love and kindness. She appreciated and enjoyed sharing her culture with family and friends. She grew up in the beautiful Hoopa Valley, surrounded by her loving family. As a young girl, Carol attended elementary and high school in Hoopa, graduating in 1969, and later marrying Ronnie Ammon. She attended CSU Chico State majoring in English. After a few years of college, she moved to McKinleyville so that she could be closer to her family and to raise her children, Nicole and Lee Ammon. She worked as a dental hygienist during her stay in McKinleyville.

Carol was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother. She was proud of all of them. She enjoyed being a Girl Scout leader when her daughter Nicole was young. Carol, Nicole and other little girl scouts once traveled to southern California for a National Girl Scout Conference, later taking a detour to Disneyland. She was proud that her son Lee had grown up to be a good father, grandfather, mechanic, and a fixer upper of old cars.

Carol had a nurturing and loving heart, always taking care of others. She cared for her mother Ardith in her elderly years and many of her nieces and nephews were close to her growing up and spent much time with her. Until Carol became disabled, she was an in-home health worker - a job she was good at as a naturally kind and nurturing person. She once said that the most difficult part of taking care of elderly people was losing them.

Lady slipper orchids and shooting stars, bluebells and trilliums, firecrackers and Indian paint brushes — what a wonderful legacy to leave. Though she may not have known it, Carol made a great and lasting impression on many of the younger family members throughout the years. She often watched them after school so their parents could work and cared for them with kindness, patience, and a loving heart. She’d take them on nature walks up the dry creek bed exploring and admiring the wildflowers all along the way. She instilled in many of them an appreciation and love for nature, plants and especially wildflowers. Her brother Bob would jokingly say, “Here comes the plant police” because she was always tending to his houseplants. She spent a lot of summer days with loved ones on or near water – the river, ocean, creeks, and lakes. She didn’t major in Botany in college, maybe she should have but it really didn’t matter because she was the family’s personal botanist.

She leaves behind a large, loving family and friends and will be missed by those whose lives she touched. Carol is survived by son Lee Christian Ammon (Rebecca), grandchildren: Joshua Ammon, Thomas Blake Jr, Britany Goodluck, Erica, Alex, and Lee Jr, Isaiah, Kiarra, Christian, Kiayleah Ammon, Wassic Ammon Gemmill, Kendal Jackson, Rayanin, Buckley, and Arayah Hoaglin, great grandchildren: Lyla B Goodluck, Adele Singletary, Angel and Jackson Gabriel, Lilly, Charlotte, Macario, and William Ammon, brother Robert McConnell (Deborah), sisters Mary Hall (Al), Nora Shields; sister in law Norma McConnell and many nieces and nephews, cousins and friends. Carol was preceded in death by her daughter Nicole Ammon, parents Louis and Ardith McConnell, brothers William, David, Howard and Michael McConnell, great-grand mother Fanny Rube Dowd, grandparents Louisa Dowd Wilder and Edwin Wilder, great aunt Mamie Ryan Parton, and great uncle Jim Hunter, uncles Roy Wilder and Donald Irving Wilder, aunts and uncles Thelma Mahon (Joe), Edwina Evans (Reece), Joyce Wilder Plummer (Robert), nephew Michael D. McConnell Jr, nieces Karla McConnell Turtle, and Pamela McConnell; aunt Juanita Wilder; brother-in-law Donald Shields; sister-in-law Yvonne Pratt McConnell; husband Ron Ammon; mother and father-in-law Blanch “Molly” and Chauncy “Jube” Ammon.

Memorial services were arranged by and held at Blair Funeral Home in Red Bluff on Friday, April 1, 2022 from 4-7 p.m. There will be a celebration of life reception at Post 415, American Legion Hall, Hoopa on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 4 p.m. Carol will be interred in Humboldt County. We will serve food and share stories, photographs and memories of a wonderful sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, auntie and friend to many.

###

The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Carol Ammon’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.