Carol's life adventure began at her birth on September 7, 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to parents Howard Melvin Vanzant and Zelmalea Inlow Vanzant. She was the eldest of two girls, with a younger sister, Rebecca Jarrett. Carol is of Cherokee, Dutch, Scottish and Irish ancestry and has always been proud of her mixed heritage.

She attended Holmes Elementary School, Wright Junior High School and Edison High School, from which she graduated in 1968.

Her love of helping people began at the young age of 14 years old when she volunteered as a candy striper at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa. Carol's time as a candy striper was only for three years; however, it led her to pursue a Bachelor's degree in nursing at Texas Women's University, graduating in 1973.

While raised in Tulsa, Carol's sense of adventure was nurtured by her yearly family vacations all across the country visiting various recreational spots and national parks.  Her love of traveling and exploring stayed with her throughout her young life into adulthood, which led her to accept a position with the US military in the Department of Defense Dependent Schools on Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan in 1983.  It was there along with her three children that Carol lived for seven years, working at Kadena High School as the school nurse, special educator and health educator.
While living on Okinawa, she pursued her Master's degree in Education from Troy State University, Alabama between 1988-1990. (This was an overseas education program for military personnel.)  In
later years Carol finalized her higher education by achieving her Doctorate in Curriculum Development from Madison University.

Carol's adventurous spirit eventually led her and her family back to the States, where she began teaching at Langston University in Tulsa as part of their nursing program.  Carol's spirit never really could keep her in one place for very long. She spent the next 30 years traveling the country teaching at various universities as a nursing instructor and clinical director for their nursing programs.
Her travels have taken her from Beaumont, Texas, Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where she taught as a nursing instructor at their community college, and finally to San Diego, California working as a clinical director at the Indian Heath Center.  She even found herself traveling to the United Kingdom twice to visit her oldest daughter Molly and son in-law Simon who currently live there.  Carol most loved working in the Native American communities and made lifelong friends throughout her travels over the years because of this.  She decided to return to Tulsa and continue her career as a nursing instructor, finally retiring in 2012.  From then on Carol spent time with her family and continued to keep in contact with former colleagues and friends.

She is survived by her sister Rebecca Jarrett; son Jason Cook; two daughters; Molly Mason and Corey Barnes; three grandchildren, Rachel McGarrah, Tanner Calloway and Robin Calloway; and four great grandchildren.  Carol was loved by all of those who met her. She was very charismatic and had a rebellious streak that attracted people to her. She tried to have a positive influence on anyone she met.