Carol Lou Franklin VanBrunt was born on June 7, 1940 to Leonard and Kathryn Franklin of Wichita, KS. As an only child, Carol ruled the roost where stories abounded of how her father felt little Carol could do no wrong. From keeping pet chickens in the house or kicking in some glass just "so I could hear what it sounded like", Carol was always full of energy, vigor and had a love for pushing the boundaries. Carol graduated from Wichita HS in 1958 and she also held a Bachelor of Arts degree in Home Economics from Friends University. Carol was also a librarian in Wichita and commonly worked at the Information and Research desk where she fielded calls and questions about a multitude of topics. She would then research the answer and find out the population of a city, the capital to a country or even how to contact a company. Carol was Google before there was the internet! Carol also worked as a Home Economics teacher in High School where she taught them how to cook, sew and take care of themselves.

While working in Wichita, she met Charles Glen VanBrunt at Wichita Church of Christ. They became fast friends and were married in Wichita on August 10, 1968. About a year later they had their first child, Corbyn L. VanBrunt in 1969 while in Wichita and then had their best daughter Carmen G. VanBrunt Freed in Tulsa a couple years later in 1971. Carol was a fantastic mother and homemaker always taking the kids to all their school events and multitudes of soccer, baseball, softball and basketball practices. In the mid-70's Carol played competitive recreational tennis and won several league events; she was very competitive. After teaching at Jenks for several years in the 80's as a Home Economics and Civics teacher, her competitive spirit took over when she transitioned into her career as a real estate agent. Carol LOVED selling real estate!! In fact, while traveling with their young family in the motorhome, she used to have a handle/moniker on the CB radio where she was known as the "Wheeler Dealer." Carol turned her love for negotiating a lower price for a flea market find into a career of "Wheeling and Dealing" prices on homes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was not unusual for Carol to be cooking dinner while making a house deal on her phone or even riding in the boat at the lake and making Charles stop so she could get better reception while she was on the phone trying to sell a house! Let's just suffice it to say, if you saw a spunky lady with spiky hair driving a giant red Hummer, you needed to steer clear for your safety because she was probably driving, talking and texting on her cell phone all at the same time!!

Carol also had a softer side that many didn't even know about until they received a card in the mail. Carol and her family were deeply involved as active members at the Park Plaza Church of Christ since 1981. Since Carol had been treated twice for breast cancer, she had a caring heart for the stress, discomfort, and uneasiness that comes with a cancer diagnosis. Carol would send many people notes of encouragement during their battles with cancer. She was never public about this, but she saw it as a mission to give hope and provide comfort for many.

Carol's smile and spunky attitude were an original pair that God only created for her. Carol's death was preceded by her husband of 55 years, Charles G. VanBrunt. Carol is survived by her children Corbyn Lee VanBrunt and Carmen Gail Freed; daughter-in-law Amy Carr-VanBrunt; son-in-law Dr. Jerry Freed; her 5 grandchildren Coleman VanBrunt-Shumate, Vail Freed-Phipps, Ashton VanBrunt-Allen, Vann Freed, and Cale VanBrunt.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to the Benevolence fund in support of families in need. Choose the drop down for "Benevolence" at The Park Church of Christ website Giving page here at this link: Choose Benevolence ;-> <https://pushpay.com/g/theparkchurchtulsa>