Carol Stavrakakis
Carol was born to Bernard and Jean Moncla in Ogden, UT. She attended Lewis Elementary and Junior High until it burned down. She always said, only half joking, that she thought her rowdy class was to blame. She graduated from Ogden High School in 1961 and then from Weber State University four years later with a BS in political science and a minor in English. She was very active in local and state politics. During election years she avoided talking politics because Carol, a gentle, sweet woman could go from Jekyll to Hyde in seconds. She taught English for several years at Kaysville Junior High, Mount Ogden Junior High, Ben Lomond High School and Ogden High School. She always had a special affinity with her rowdier students and the “burnouts” as she called them. They loved her and many kept in touch over the years. She often remembered the tough boy, who cried when he read Of Mice and Men, the first book he had read all the way through. Carol was always able to reach the unreachable students.
She and Frankie Larsen bought the Jade Tree, an established gift shop, in 1984. Carol was still teaching but soon realized she couldn’t do both jobs, so she quit teaching and with her lifelong friend, Frankie, worked hard at the extremely stylish and successful gift shop, known for its unusual and quirky items as well as for its more traditional pieces. When Frankie retired in 1999, Carol continued the successful business venture until she too retired in 2016.
Like her mother Jean, Carol was always extremely committed to public service. As President of the Friends of the Library, she fought against book banning and censorship. She was also responsible for bringing Fawn Brodie, the famous American biographer, to be the guest speaker at the library’s annual convention. As a member of the board of the YWCA, she worked tirelessly at the rape crisis center. A member and officer of the Junior League, she represented Ogden’s chapter at several national conventions. She was an ardent supporter of the Ogden Nature Center as well. She was also a member and President of the Ogden Duplicate Bridge Club and taught bridge lessons at The Golden Hours Center and the YWCA. Truthfully, bridge was her greatest passion. She traveled to duplicate bridge tournaments all over the west and always said she wanted her obituary to include that she was a life master bridge player and was ranked several times as the number one bridge player in Ogden. She claimed that if there was no bridge in heaven she didn’t want to go there.
Carol peacefully left us a few days before her 82nd birthday. She lived a long life filled with public service, with interesting and fulfilling work, and with so much fun. She married Jim Stavrakakis in 1964 and later divorced. She felt her greatest accomplishment in life was being the mother of two successful and loving daughters who both survive her, Andrea (Shane) Salt Lake City and Gina San Diego, CA. She is also survived by her brother Butch Moncla (Sharon) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, two sisters, Kay Moncla (Janelle) Salt Lake City, Utah and Janie Zimmerman (Hal) Boise, Idaho.
The family thanks Laneil Larsen for her long friendship and caregiving over the years. Carol so appreciated her help and love over the last several years.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her name to the Weber County Library, KUED public broadcasting, or to your local animal shelter. She watched KUED nearly nonstop, and Masterpiece Theater always meant pleasure! Max, her toy poodle, a Jade Tree staff assistant and loyal companion, was a rescue dog from the local shelter.
A celebration of her life will be held on Sunday, July 13 in Murray, Utah. Please contact the family for details