Carole Ann Hamisak Hartong died Friday, Feb. 2, 2023, at Frontenac, Kansas. She was born March 18, 1936, at Camp 50 in Crawford County, Kansas, the first of Victor and Lucy Tersina Hamisak’s four children. She graduated from Girard High School in 1954. Carole always knew she wanted to be a nurse and trained with the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Dodge City and Wichita, where she graduated in 1957.
One of the happiest days of Carole’s life was Sept. 21, 1957, when she married Charles E. Hartong in Girard, Kansas, at St. Michael’s Church. They moved to Wichita and quickly welcomed Mark, Judith, and Phillip, all while Carole worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The Hartongs relocated back to Crawford County, living in the house where Carole grew up while she continued her nursing career at Mt. Carmel Hospital. Charlie and Carole worked together when they were both offered jobs running Erie Rest Home. Carole was the heart, soul, and quick-moving feet of the rest home, with staff and residents' families lauding her praises to this day. Carole worked night and day to provide a home for the community's citizens and added a fourth Hartong kid, Monica, along the way.
In addition to raising four children and running the rest home, Carole taught Certified Nurse Aid courses at Neosho County Community College, provided nursing services for CUSD 101, volunteered to run the Red Cross Blood Bank for many years, and volunteered at St. Ambrose Catholic Church.
In 1987, Charlie and Carole moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, where Carole took her nursing skills to homes of the elderly as a home health nurse. After Charlie died in 1997, Carole moved back to Pittsburg, where she enjoyed her eight grandchildren and drove a CareVan for Via Christi. Many people didn’t know Carole for her professional career but for her retirement career of supporting others through her excellent cooking. Often referred to as “the cookie lady,” “the ham and beans lady,” and “the noodle lady,” she quietly spread the comfort of simple food to so many people, most of whom she didn’t even know.
Carole was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brother, Mike Hamisak; son, Phillip Hartong; and grandson, Nicholas Raynor. She is survived by her son, Mark (Karma) Hartong; daughters, Judith (Bill) Raynor and Monica (Rob) Murnan; sister, Virginia Hamisak; brother, Patrick (Yawnna) Hamisak; and sister-in-law, Nancy Hamisak. Carole’s grandchildren Luke (Amber) Raynor, Andrew (Natalie) Raynor, Alexandria (Andy) Murnan, Francesca Murnan, Alison (Mitchell) Hedrick, Taylor (Austin) Doran, and Gabrielle Murnan provided much enjoyment, as did her great-grandchildren: Noah, Felix, Finn, Theo, Lydia, Laz, Ari, Whit, Delilah, Ruby, Silas, Lane, and Violet.
A Rosary will be held Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at 1 p.m., with a Mass of Christian Burial following at 1:30 at Sacred Heart Church in Frontenac, Kansas. Burial will follow at the Girard City Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to The Center, 1600 N. Walnut, Pittsburg, or the CHCSEK Fairy Godmother Fund, 3011 N. Michigan, Pittsburg. Arrangements are under the direction of Brenner Mortuary, 114 E. 4th St., Pittsburg, KS 66762.
