With heavy hearts, the family of Carol Ann Merredew (nee Hoculak) announces her passing in the early morning of Saturday, May 31, 2025 at Pinecrest Home for the Aged. Carol was born on July 21, 1950 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and was preceded in death by her parents, Carl & Stella Hoculak. Carol was a beloved and cherished wife to Damon Merredew.
Carol is survived by her husband, Damon, and their children, Stephen (Vanessa), Sarah, and Laurie (Nick), grandchildren Caeden and Theoren, and her half-sisters Marjorie Cherniak and Betty Baumgartner. Family was particularly important to her and she loved nothing more than visiting with them and looking back at old photos.
Carol was a dedicated nurse, working in the ICU at the Kenora Hospital and starting an ICU training program for her fellow nurses. She became a registered nurse in Edmonton and did her post-graduate studies in Winnipeg and moved with some of her friends to Kenora, which is where she met and fell in love with Damon. As their family grew, she transitioned to the position of Office Manager at Merredew Financial Advisors, working diligently alongside her husband and his team. She was passionate about flower gardening and making her yard beautiful, and loved spending time on the lake, making pirogies, and playing solitaire. She always looked forward to spending the winters in Arizona with Damon (14 in total!). A dedicated Catholic, she was a member of the Catholic Women’s League, a Eucharistic minister, and an active member of St. Louis Church in Keewatin and All Saints Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona. Following her first encounter with breast cancer in 2007, she joined the Dragon Tamers dragon boat team and she loved paddling, practicing, and competing in international regattas in Florida, Arizona and Peterborough with her fellow breast cancer survivors. Carol was an exceptionally strong person, overcoming so many obstacles and challenges throughout her life with patience, kindness, perseverance and unending hope and optimism.
Carol’s family would like to thank Dr. Wiebe and the staff at Pinecrest for the compassionate care she received from them.
Her funeral mass will be held on Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 11:00am at St. Louis Church as well as live-streamed at https://fweb.tv/186645
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada (https://alzheimer.ca/krr/en), 618 9th Street N, Kenora ON P9N 2S9.