Carolyn Jane Hendel, 44 CRESTONE, Colo. - Carolyn Jane Hendel, 44, died at her Crestone, Colo., home on June 15, 2010, from rapidly invasive cancer. Carolyn was born in Milford, Del., on May 7, 1966, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Edward L. Hendel. Carolyn exhibited her elan early on when one warm summer morning we received a call from a neighbor that a little blonde girl and a big black dog were running in her backyard and neither had a stitch of clothes on. When she was a few years older, she was often seen zipping around the neighborhood on her skateboard pulled by Bridget, our Irish Setter. Luckily, Carolyn had the nourishing experience of being "adopted" by our neighbors, Phil and Frances Hopkins, who had no children. That loving relationship fostered her confidence and self-reliance. A 1983 graduate of Milford High, where she played tennis and field hockey, Carolyn enjoyed writing but especially loved performing in the spring musical productions. After a year in Germany as an exchange student, she earned a B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Delaware. She began her working career with rug expert, J.D. Kurtz of Wilmington, where she literally learned from the ground up hand washing and repairing antique Oriental rugs. John Kurtz was her educator and mentor and in recent years they produced similar product lines. He and Carolyn remained friends to the last. Following a stint with Inner Asia, Carolyn was hired to manage the rug department of Packards in Sante Fe, N.M. While working in Sante Fe, Carolyn met Richard Ensor, owner of "Line of the Spirit," a company that produced quality flat-weave rugs in Romania. In 2005, Carolyn bought Ensor's company and began building clientele among fine stores and interior designers throughout the mountain west. Carolyn made difficult choices in her life - some that allowed her to pursue her career and some that denied fulfilling other wishes. For Carolyn, the closing lines of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken," are appropriate: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." We will never forget the courage and acceptance Carolyn displayed about her fate. Carolyn is survived by a brother, Gregory of Belgrade, Mont.; and a sister, Jennifer of Littleton, Colo. To those friends who sent such comforting sentiments, we are grateful. For those who wish to remember Carolyn. donations will be welcomed by: Hospice Del Valle, 514 Main St., Alamosa, CO 81101; or the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org, (800) 227-2345.