For 75 years, the held a special place in Caroline Shreve’s heart.
It’s where her parents, Lolita and Frank Prouty, her grandmother Evalyn Barney Snell and a grandchild earned their degrees. Also, she was one of only two women in the Class of 1942 to be awarded a degree in chemistry.
The Boulder campus also is where she met her future husband, Ted, on a blind date. They had been married 62 years when he died in October 2005.
Caroline Prouty Shreve died Oct. 24 at Denver’s retirement community, in the company of her grandson, Curtis Caile. She was 92.
“She died with a smile,” Caile said, “almost as if she had been reunited with Ted.”
A memorial service and luncheon for family members and invited guests will take place Nov. 25.
The Shreves were married Jan. 7, 1943, shortly after Ted received his commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to a destroyer that provided north Atlantic convoy protection through the remainder of World War II. She lived on the East Coast while her husband was aboard the destroyer to more easily visit him when his ship was in port.
They returned to Denver after to start careers and a family. His company, Trautman and Shreve, designed air-conditioning and heating systems for major venues throughout the Rocky Mountain region, including the Pepsi Center, Denver International Airport and the former Invesco Field at Mile High.
“Caroline was a thoughtful, caring, humorous and articulate woman who loved her family, friends and the University of Colorado,” son-in-law Bill Caile said.
Shreve is survived by her daughters, Sara Caile, Suzi Foster and Theo Russell, and their husbands, Bill Caile, Graham Foster and Doug Russell, as well as four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A 60-year member of the CU Alumni Association, Shreve served on the CU Foundation board for six years; was a past president of the Director’s Club; and co-chaired the CU Health Sciences Center Resource Development Committee. In 1995, she and her husband were given the for distinguished service.
She helped raise money for research and scholarships in the CU School of Medicine, the athletic department, the College of Engineering and Leeds School of Business. She also had leadership roles in capital campaigns to renovate the Alumni Center, chancellor’s office, the Integrated Teaching and Learning Lab, the Theodore N. and Caroline Prouty Shreve Immunology Center, and research buildings on the Anschutz Medical Campus.
Shreve was active in the Denver chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, serving as president in 1992-93 and founding the organization’s endowment fund. She also was an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau for 25 years.
“Caroline was a wonderful person — gentle and inclusive while organized, committed and hardworking,” fellow ARCS member Toni Cohig said. “Every organization should have a Caroline.”
Shreve enjoyed cross country skiing, tennis, world travel and golf, which she continued to play until about five years ago when, according to her son-in-law, “failing eyesight finally slowed her down.”
“And when that happened,” her son-in-law added, “her longtime golfing partner, Medora Douden, let everyone know that ‘Carrie could still hit the ball 150 yards — she just had no idea where it went.’ “
The family suggests memorial contributions to the , P.O. Box 17126, Denver CO 80217-9155.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joannedavidson
