Carol Ann Paige Hoover Wasserson, a longtime Claremont resident, died on December 2, 2016. She was 84.

She was born in Long Beach on February 8, 1932 to Paul and Elsie Paige and was raised in Claremont. After graduating from Claremont High School, she took classes at Woodbury Business School and then married Edward Curtis Hoover. Carol was one of the strongest women around and a force to be reckoned with, her family shared. When her first husband died and she was left a single mother to two young children at 28, she showed that strength and built a name and a life for herself and her family.

She took a job working for Claremont attorney Guy Lemaster, and met and married Sam Wasserson. Their whirlwind romance was like that of a Katherine Hepburn movie. Sam was Carol’s Humphrey Bogart, and he gave her the world. Together, they left no part of the globe unreached. The couple spent an incredible, adventurous, wonderful 51 years together. Partners in business, in life and in love, Carol and Sam shared a romance and a connection unlike any other. They worked together, they laughed together and they raised children together.

Mrs. Wasserson provided firm but loving guidance to her son Clif and daughter Cindy. She valued strength, beauty, courage and honesty, and spent her life instilling these principles in her children. They remember times she caught them skipping school or driving the family car without permission and, on those days, her children learned a lesson early on about their mother: No one messed with Carol Wasserson.

Clif and Cindy remember their mom affectionately, as intelligent, witty and beautiful—the embodiment of grace and elegance. They remember her on the golf course, around the bridge table and in the kitchen. They remember her spunk, her vivacity and her remarkable ability to love those around her. Her four granddaughters remember her for her gentle voice that soothed them to sleep, recounting the magical fairytale adventures of Snow White and Rose Red that she read to them so many times.

She also had a knack for fun. Mrs. Wasserson loved a party like no one else could. She loved gathering around friends and family, sharing meals and memories. Whether acting as the host or a guest, she always had a way of being the life of the party. She loved her vodka martinis, shaken not stirred, with a twist.

Today, her family cherishes the memories they shared with Mrs. Wasserson and the lessons she taught them. Her legacy will live on through the photos, the passport stamps, the recipes, the stories and the values she held and imparted.

“To others she was mom, sister, friend and neighbor, but to me she was and will always be my Meko,” her granddaughter Amy wrote. “Thank you for giving me your height, your blonde hair, your pie recipe and your love of travel. Thank you for loving me and teaching me strength and courage.

“Thank you for being my Meko. ‘Goodnight, Sugar Plum’ was how she told me goodnight,” Amy continued. “Goodnight, Sugar Plum. We love you and miss you already.”

Carol is survived by her husband, Sam Wasserson, and her two children, Clif Hoover and Cindy Rosenthal; four grandchildren, Julia Hoover, Lindsey Andersen, Ellie Rosenthal and Amy Rosenthal; and one great grandchild, Kilian Andersen.

A service celebrating Mrs. Wasserson’s life was held on December 14 at Stone Funeral Home in Upland, followed by burial at Oak Park Cemetery in Claremont.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517 Topeka, KS 66675-8517. For information, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.