Carol Lynn Roth's Obituary
Carol Lynn (Rule) Roth, a proud, highly educated woman who was dedicated to her family and friends, passed away on February 27, 2019 after a brief illness. She was 81.Carol’s love of history and education began practically at birth when she was born in Huntington Park, Calif. to a warm-hearted schoolteacher and a witty, accomplished engineer. Together, she and her sister, were constantly surrounded by brilliant minds that she likened to characters from the popular television show, The Big Bang Theory. This exposure fueled her passion for knowledge and history, which ultimately translated into a degree in History from UC Santa Barbara in the early 60s. There, she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.Carol’s love for education extended beyond history and into a love for liberal arts, and especially the study of languages. As a young woman, she traveled to France on foreign exchange, exploring the countryside by bicycle and, at one point, riding along in the Tour de France by accident. After college, she further studied French at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, becoming a fluent French speaker. Her love for France and travel spurred her to host foreign exchange students from all over the world while raising her own children. These students became lifelong friends of Carol’s, and she continued to correspond with them up until her passing.After graduation, Carol moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she met and married the father of her three children, whom she also raised to appreciate not only an intense love for history, but a desire to understand their family lineage. She invested countless hours tracing their genealogy back to the early 1600s, and ultimately discovered that her family tree stemmed from the first direct ancestors to arrive on American soil—in an early colony now known as Virginia.Carol’s endless thirst for knowledge continued even while raising her own family, as she worked to earn her master’s in business from Notre Dame University in Belmont, CA. She would ultimately go on to a 20-year career with Syntex Pharmaceuticals (now Roche) and finally, Etrade. She worked well into her 70s. In retirement, she worked for the San Mateo County Election Office, where she organized volunteers and polling locations throughout the county.Carol’s three children include Jeannette Burns (husband, Joe) of Redwood City, Christine Arman of Saratoga, and Erich Roth of Redwood City. Her four grandchildren include Gabrielle and Willem Burns, and Charlie and Geneva Arman. She is also survived by her sister, Shirley Horton of Santa Barbara, CA. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ethel and Bruce Rule.A celebration of her life took place at Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park in San Mateo, CA.In lieu of flowers, donations in Carol’s honor may be sent to the League of Women Voters (http://www.lwv.com).
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