Carol Lebrecht

Carol Marie Hansen Lebrecht was born Dec. 5, 1935 in Independence, ID, to Andrew Wesley and Erma LoRee Anderson Hansen. “Because I was born so close to Christmas my parents named me Carol, so like a Christmas carol”.
Carol was the second of the “Six Sisters”. She joined LoRee, followed by Elaine, Violet, Reva and RosaLee. Leaving Independence, the family moved to Boise, ID, while her dad worked on various construction sites. When Carol was in third grade the family moved to Anderson Ranch Dam where they lived and attended school for seven years. She always spoke fondly of her time growing up there. Later while her family moved to Thornton, ID, Carol attended Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, UT, for her freshman year. She then finished her studies at Madison High School, where she graduated in 1954.
After high school, Carol met Wulf Lebrecht while he was in America on an immigration sponsorship from Germany. They married on Aug. 16, 1957 in Idar-Oberstein, Germany while he was stationed there with the Army. Her oldest daughter, Belinda, was born while they were living there. After moving back to the states, Carol lived and farmed in Five Field Basin where she welcomed Brian into the family. They owned and operated a pig farm in Roberts, ID, where Andrea and Roswita also joined the family. Finally, they moved to Sterling, ID, where they purchased a farm and welcomed Christopher and Adrian.
The family farm was a great place to raise their family and create a loving home. You could always count on bread raising or baking in Carol’s house. Her generosity always made for plenty of room at the table for anyone who showed up.
She was always involved on the farm from driving tractor, moving pipe, feeding cows and picking rocks with her children in tow. The Lebrecht’s purchased another farm just down the road and moved the family to live at the Big Butte Ranch.
After her children were raised, she wanted to further her education and attended Idaho State University completing the Vo-tech course in Food Service. To nurture her creativity she embarked on a journey taking photography night classes. She became a very accomplished photographer and joined the Professional Photographers of Idaho, which lead her to travel through Canada to Alaska. She also traveled throughout the Northwest, stopping to visit her sisters and photograph popular landmarks. Her favorite place to photograph was always the Oregon Coast.
She settled in American Falls, ID, and worked for the school district at Hillcrest Elementary. Later she moved to Sweet, ID, where she spent the remainder of her life enjoying her grandkids and great-grandkids. Carol passed away peacefully on Sunday, Sept 3, 2017, surrounded by her loving family.
Carol is survived by: her sisters, LoRee Hook, Elaine and Loren Tedrow, Violet and Terry Jensen, and RosaLee Winder (Bill). She is survived by: her children, Brian Lebrecht (Annette), Andrea and Don Betzold, Roswita and Pete Ramsey and Adrian Lebrecht (Amelia). She is survived by: her grandchildren, Douglas Betzold, Michael and Karlyn Betzold, Heather Richards, Mathew and Tory Lebrecht, Ashley and Zach Nielsen, Travis Burgemeister (Samantha), Avery, Andrew and Alex Lebrecht, Rodger and Katey Esparza, Sammy Esparza, Sarah and Aaron Neptune and Wulf Adam Lebrecht. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren Terrick, Jaxton, Malik, Harper, Sawyer, Graesen, Thatcher, Everett, Katie, Nathaniel, Josiah, Wulf Aiden, Alexus and Anah.
Carol was preceded in death by her daughter Belinda, son Christopher, parents Wesley and Erma, sister Reva, brother-in-law Ken and two infant brothers.
Please join us as we celebrate Carol’s life on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 1 to 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided at this open house event located at Andrea and Don Betzold’s home, 100 Brownlee Rd. (P.O. Box 296) Horseshoe Bend, Idaho 83629. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Sweet Montour Syringa Club, 11725 N. Hwy 52, Horseshoe Bend, Idaho 83629.