Carol Harshaw passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family and faithful feline at home on May 27, 2026.

Carol was born February 19, 1947, in Qulin, Missouri, to John Smith and Sylvia Brown Smith. She graduated from Qulin High School in 1965 and went on to earn her bachelor’s of science degree in education from Southeast Missouri State University in 1971.

In October of 1967, Carol was set up on a blind date with Bill Harshaw, and they saw Disney’s The Jungle Book—a film that would become a beloved favorite of their family. They were engaged two months later and were married on April 27, 1968, in Qulin. They resided in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for the first years of their marriage. During this time Carol taught third grade in Advance, Missouri. After welcoming their two daughters, Heather and Elizabeth, Carol left her education career to become a stay-at-home mother. The family later relocated to Gordonville, where they raised their girls.

As her daughters grew older, Carol returned to part-time work, serving as the bookkeeper for Public Water Supply District 4 in Gordonville, and later as the Postmaster Relief for the Gordonville Post Office.

She was a dedicated member of Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville from 1979 until her relocation to St. Louis in 2016, where she then joined Salem Lutheran Church in Affton, Missouri. In her retirement, Carol took great joy in giving back, volunteering at the Riverside Regional Library in Jackson, Missouri, and the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. She was also a proud and active member of the Cape County Democrats.

While Bill was often the more extroverted “Chatty Cathy” (per Carol), her calm, stoic, generous behavior was unavoidable to notice. She often jumped into volunteering where it was needed, from being a class room-parent, watching neighborhood kids, or making multiple weekly banking trips for their church community. She and Bill also were primary caretakers for their parents and other aging relatives.

Carol was an avid reader, most notably of science fiction and fantasy, and spent many hours with a good jigsaw puzzle. As a child she labored on her family farm, including picking cotton, so as an adult she preferred strong air conditioning but still maintained beautiful flower beds, gardens, and trees at their Gordonville home. Every winter hundreds of dollars would be spent in bird food to keep the backyard bird feeders available to the winter feathered friends. While she and Bill had dogs earlier in their relationship, most of her adult life featured a cat friend or two.

In 2015, Carol was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. She faced her diagnosis with extraordinary strength and grace, moving to Saint Louis to be closer to her family and to receive care at the Siteman Cancer Center. For over ten and a half years, Carol persevered through her treatments with a quiet defiance and unmatched bravery. All that knew and loved her through her cancer journey will forever remember that she defied the odds and never once complained about her diagnosis or side effects. She was fortunate to have Heather as not only her loving daughter but as a personal patient navigator at every necessary appointment to advocate and support her.

Carol is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth Harshaw and her husband David Yung, and Heather Harshaw, all of Saint Louis. She is also survived by her cherished granddaughter, Sabine, who brought immense love, laughter, and sunshine into her grandmother's life. Additionally, she is survived by her sister Joy Belcher and her husband Donnie of Holcomb, Missouri; her sister Janice Corbett of Palos Heights, Illinois; and her brother John Smith and his wife Hope of Port Ludlow, Washington. She leaves behind her niece Julie May and her husband Robert, and their daughter Piper, of Sanger, Texas; her nephew Wesley Dumey and his wife Patricia of Apopka, Florida; and her great-niece Ashley Holbrook and her husband Kelly, and their daughters Riven and Sybil, of Kingsport, Tennessee.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 56 years, Bill; her parents; and her nephew, Scott Belcher.

Carol’s memorial service will be Saturday, June 6, at Salem Lutheran Church, 8343 Gravois Road in Affton, Missouri. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. and the service will follow at 2 p.m. at the church. Her inurnment will be Monday, June 8 at 11 a.m. in Veterans’ Cemetery in Bloomfield, Missouri. 

In lieu of flowers at both services, that family requests that donations be made to Siteman Cancer Center.