July 2, 1949 - August 30, 2019

Carol Hiltner was a gifted author, artist, and seamstress, an insightful counselor, and a loving mother and grandmother. Her lifelong mission was to promote peace and healing.

Growing up, Carol had been a skiing and scuba instructor and sailboat racer. While in high school, she went to Philadelphia to compete in crew. Her first wedding ceremony was conducted on the summit of Mount Rainier. She was in excellent health.

Carol taught herself enough about construction to move walls and install floors, electricity, plumbing, and stained glass into three houses. She designed and installed three elaborate gardens. She added custom built-ins to each of her apartments and covered the walls with her art.

In the 1980s, she made two Peace Quilts on which she then obtained the signatures of most U.S. senators and states’ governors and members of the Soviet Politburo. A copy of this quilt is in Washington, D.C. She also made several patchwork quilts from children’s art, which she delivered to Russian schools. She then went on to make more than 100 art quilts.

At age 50, Carol was invited by her spirit guides to come to Siberia “to translate emerald tablets with a message for humanity.” So, from 1999 to 2011, she led twelve group and solo treks into the Altai mountains of southern Siberia. She became a passionate advocate for the indigenous people she met there, soliciting contributions to help them defend against further seizures of their land (see the Altai Mir University website at altaimir.org). A hotel in that area has more than 90 of Carol’s paintings displayed for its guests.

 Carol’s spiritual journeys are described in three of her books: The Altai Chronicles. She wrote and published other books as well, including the poetry book Presents (1991). She loved puns and word plays. 

Given any troubling situation, Carol was always available to offer a different perspective and to provide guidance toward a positive resolution.

 Truly a woman who could do anything she set her mind to, Carol will be fondly remembered by many, including her sisters Susan, Nancy, and Mary, her brother Walt, her daughters Sunny and Aimee, and her granddaughters Stacia and Kylie.