Carole Helen (Dent) Dunston

Our beloved mother and grandmother, Carole Helen (Dent) Dunston, age 79, of Onaway, passed away peacefully Thursday, August 4, 2022, after courageously living with Parkinson’s disease for 30 years. 

Carole was born June 28, 1943, in Flint, to Harold and Helen Dent. After earning her bachelor’s degree in education from Michigan State University, she married Bob Dunston, a fellow Flint Southwestern alumnus and baseball player from University of Michigan. They spent 52 wonderful years together before his passing in June 2017. 

They lived the first five years of their marriage in Flint to be close to both of their families and to start a family of their own. It was Carole’s idea to move to Black Lake in 1969 to raise their children and teach at the local Onaway Community School. Carole taught third grade in the same classroom for 22 years before being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and retiring in 1993. Many of Carole and Bob’s closest, lifelong friends taught alongside them and it was commonplace for their families to enjoy dinners, sporting events, pig roasts, and camping trips together. After retirement, Carole and Bob spent winters in warmer climates, eventually settled at Tanglewood Resort in Sebring, Florida and kept busy with activities and events with new friends.

Throughout her life, Carole enjoyed many hobbies: working with stained glass, researching family ancestry, sewing, making jewelry, crafts, and Christmas ornaments to name a few. She was also a ballet dancer, talented pianist and violinist, and played the ukulele in a band at the retirement resort. Living on Black Lake provided year-round entertainment and Carole especially enjoyed boating and spending time on the water. 

Carole was actively involved in her children and grandchildren’s lives. She especially enjoyed attending as many of her grandchildren’s events as possible, including soccer and hockey games and band concerts.  Family weekends and gatherings at the lake were always at the top of the list.