Carolyn Schut

On April 24th, Carolyn Schut found peace after a two-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. She passed at home in the company of her family and a few loved friends.

There are a lot of things that could be said about Carolyn. But what she truly loved was her family, teaching, and traveling. Born in 1962 in Southern California her family moved to Selah, Washington right before she started high school. After graduating from Selah High School in 1980 she would later return not as a student, but as a teacher with her degree from the University of Washington (1984); Go Huskies! Teaching mathematics at Selah High School she also enjoyed coached track and cross-country.

Meeting the love of her life Don Schut, marrying in 1990 and having their first child, Kathleen, in 1992 didnt slow her down for one minute. With a baby in tow, she returned to school and received her Master Degree in Math Sciences. After completing her master's degree, giving birth to her son, Clay, in 1995, and spending 13 years teaching at Selah Highschool she was ready for bigger opportunities. As a Professor at Yakima Valley College (YVC), she would spend another 17 years sharing her love for math. One of her greatest passions while working at YVC was her work as an advisor. After 30 years of teaching, she retired from YVC in 2017.

Retiring allowed Carolyn to pursue her true passions to the fullest. Her sense of adventure took her, her family, and her friends to the far reaches of the globe. Family and friends regularly questioned why she hadnt spent her career as a professional travel agent. But really- she always had been for them. From overlanding 1400km on the Gibb River Road in the Outback of Australia to white water rafting the White Nile river in Uganda she never missed an opportunity to chase down the obscure. While in Uganda, Carolyn and her family went gorilla trekking and came home raving about how much the gorillas fart and how they couldnt stop laughing deep in the Ugandan jungle. Her love for traveling with her family was evident to all. She took her daughter Kathleen trekking to Machu Picchu, Peru and her son snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands with the Iguanas. Once while skydiving in New Zealand, upon returning she shared their experience of how Dons parachute didnt open and a secondary parachute had to be deployed! Her hardest adventure was a trip in 2018 when she left her family at home to pursue her dream of trekking to the Mount Everest Base Camp. She returned home exhausted and sick but had persevered and accomplished her goals. One of her fondest adventures was with Don white water rafting the Colorado River the full length of the Grand Canyon. From camping and pooping in buckets to getting thrown off the rafts through the rapids, she soaked up every minute of the experience.

Through her travels, she visited 47 different countries 12 of which she did bike touring. We will all remember her passion for life. She was known for her schedule being overly booked and always having an open door to serve you a warm meal on a snowy night after skiing at White Pass. She will be missed. Carolyn is survived by her mother Charlotte Huston, her husband Don, and her two children Kathleen and Clay.

There will be a Celebration of Life held on Saturday, May 8th at the Schut family home from noon to four. All are welcome.

Celebration of Life
Schut Family Home
Saturday, May 8, 2021
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

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