02/04/2026
Carolyn Cambell
November 12, 1950 -- January 31, 2026
Dear Patients and Friends,
If you call the office this week, you will not be greeted by the familiar, melodic voice we all loved. You very well may perceive a somber catch in all of our throats as we say goodbye to our beloved team member, Carolyn.
It has been nearly 20 years since a patient-friend exclaimed, "I know the perfect person for your front-desk job opening." (Thank you Linda T., we are eternally grateful). As it turned out Linda T. had never met Carolyn, but she knew Carolyn's daughter, Laurie. She assured me that Laurie was so impressive, her mother could be nothing less than spectacular. Besides having the best phone voice ever, Carolyn filled our office with fresh cut flowers from her yard, seashell turtles from her travels and a welcoming spirit. She would make chart notes on how to properly pronounce unique names, so that all of her teammates could greet every patient like family.
While hired to manage phones and schedule appointments, she quickly expanded her duties to include Birthday Card Director, Chief Proofreader, and Official Historian for important milestones of our patients so we could extend a deserved "congratulations" or send a sympathy card. She was so special, we allowed her to display a Blue and Maize trinket from her beloved school up north. She was a prolific, handwritten-letter writer (penmanship counts!), a strict grammarian, and a chocoholic. She believed Oreos were an approved treatment for anemia (look it up, one serving contains 8% of your daily iron needs).
Over the past 30 years of practice, I have sometimes joked that I think of our employees as my children. Carolyn completely flipped that script on me when she would give a gentle reminder when I fell behind on some tasks. She reached a vocal register only available to practiced mothers that implied "I'm only saying this for your own good."
Our hearts break for her daughters who just lost one of the world's greatest moms. Carolyn was immensely proud to be Grammy to a large flock of amazing grandchildren, and shared stories and photos of them often with us. Carolyn was committed to sustaining strong relationships with family, teammates past and present, and friends of today and yesteryear. It would be so easy to see her loss as a giant hole that can never be filled. But instead, we can choose to see it as a string that ties all of her fans together. Even though many of us here bleed Scarlet and Grey, you will see us sporting Blue and Maize in her honor. If you are in the neighborhood, stop in and share a memory of her with us, we will reward you with a piece of chocolate.
Forgive me for any typos, my Chief Proofreader has been promoted to a funner, um, more fun position much higher up.