Ethyl Carrline Mildred Broadbent

With heavy hearts we are sad to announce the passing of Carole Broadbent (Ethyl Carrline Mildred) on November 23, 2024. After an unexpected emergency surgery we learned that she had Stage 4 colon cancer. She recovered from surgery, made it out of the ICU and was looking forward to coming home, but unexpectedly passed away the morning just before being picked up. Our family is reeling with the sudden rollercoaster of events.

Born on April 6th, 1951 in Huntsville Ontario, to Fred Broadbent and Evalyn (Mackay) Perrier. Carole was the sixth of seven children. She will be joining her best friend and little sister Violet Desjardins, her brothers Sam and Doug Broadbent and sister Debbie Oke in heaven. She is survived by her brothers Jim (Sue) Broadbent and Myrrl (Nancy) Broadbent, as well as her sisters in law Marg Broadbent, Anna Mary Broadbent and brother in law Albert (Marilyn) Desjardins.

As a teenager, Carole gained a loving and supportive step father Orville Perrier and is survived by her five step siblings Mary Nadrofsky, Roberta (Ray) Dobson, Paulette (Bill) Quinn, Lorette (Brian) Bartlett and Mark Perrier.

She will be deeply missed by her daughter Ariel Zwicker, her “super son-in-law” John Zwicker and her two grandsons Corbin and Stryder Zwicker, who she loved to the moon and back a billion times.

She will live on in the memories shared by her many nieces and nephews as a dedicated and loving aunt, who took time to take them canoing, to beach hop and build sandcastles, make up creative stories and play pirates…

She worked in home care with Helping Hands in Orillia and there she discovered her calling, her passion for elder care. She called it Gods work. She later graduated as a Personal Support Worker from Georgian College and worked as a PSW for well over 20 years. She worked at Rowanwood and later at Country Moments Retirement Home.

Carole was a woman who believed in magic, who pondered the meaning of life, was passionate about politics, and found beauty in the little things. She was an avid reader of science fiction, world history, indigenous cultures and world mysteries. She loved Christmas and turned decorating her Christmas tree into an art. She was deeply compassionate and would drop everything if her loved ones needed her. She enjoyed a simple life, cooking good food, listening to CBC radio, watching HGTV. She also struggled with depression off and on throughout most of her life and believed deeply in counselling and reaching out for support. She never thought of the struggle as taboo, and she always was there for anyone who needed to talk. She strived for “wellness” before it was even a thing. She loved to dance, and listen to music, and would dance whenever the mood struck, whether alone in her living room at 2am blasting Bethoven, or dashing across the dancefloor at a wedding to her favourite song Rasputen! She said that dance and music were medicine for the soul.

She was a devoted and hardworking single mom. She always said, “where there is a will there is a way”, and she always found a way to overcome challenges and give her daughter experiences and activities and to keep her connected to family. She was a mom who wanted to fiercely protect her daughter, and hounded about lifejackets and helmets, but also encouraged climbing trees, riding bikes, tobogganing, and trying things!

Carole was a proud and beaming gramma who wanted to spend every moment she could with her grandsons. With her living across the driveway, Corbin and Stryder were lucky to have her in their life everyday. She babysat them before they started kindergarten, she got them off the bus, she had them for sleep overs, watched them at the skate park, cheered for them at their activities and always wanted to be a part of the fun!

She will be dearly missed. Friends, family, co-workers, those who knew Carole are all welcome to attend a Celebration of Life on Saturday April 5th at the Huntsville Legion from 1-4pm at the upstairs hall. Non alcoholic drinks and snacks will be provided. Cash bar available. Anyone wishing to share a memory or story are welcome and encouraged! Those wishing to share but are not comfortable speaking in front of the group can send their messages/stories/memories to Ariel to be read on their behalf. Please send to broadzwick@hotmail.com by March 30th.