John and Karel have been our dearest friends since our arrival in Hendersonville. Their steadfast kindness and friendship made Hendersonville truly feel like home. We think of Karel with fondest memories of all the times we shared together and she will live in our hearts forever. Pete and Tess

Aug 1, 2023

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The Celebration of Karel's Life was Saturday. The ceremony was recorded and is available for those who missed it and are not going to the NJ ceremony. If you are going to the NJ ceremony, I suggest that you don't watch it now.

To access the video, go to Trinity worship page https://www.trinitypresnc.org/worship. You will see a drop down of videos. Currently it is the second item on the list but that will change as new recordings are added. Look for the one where the total time is 1:35. The actual ceremony starts 12 minutes into the recording.

From the ceremony bulletin:

"Losing love is like a window in your heart

Everybody sees you're blown apart

Everybody sees the wind blow"

https://www.blueridgenow.com/obituaries/pwlm0516053

Karel Bodamer

Karel Bodamer, 80, died June 13, 2023, with her family by her side in Hendersonville, NC.

She was born May 6, 1943, in Sisters, Oregon to Roger N. Carstensen and Maretta Marie Carstensen. Her father was the President of the Christian College of Georgia and President of the Institute for Biblical Literacy. Her mother was a teacher and secretary. When Karel was 6 years old, the family moved to Oklahoma.

She graduated from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma.

From 1972 through 1983, she lived in Missouri, where she worked for the Bureau of the Blind as a traveling social worker.

In 1983, she moved to Tenafly, NJ, where she was an active member of the Presbyterian Church at Tenafly. The untimely death of her son, Brian, in 1985 set her on her spiritual path. She began her studies at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and continued a lifelong journey of spiritual learning for the ensuing decades. She was a source of light and love and truly touched the lives of everyone she met.

Karel met John Bodamer in 1999 and they married in 2001. Shortly after, they bought a second home in Hendersonville, NC and spent the next 13 years splitting their time between the Big Apple and Apple Country. In 2018, they decided to make North Carolina their year-round home. Karel and John found a wonderful faith community at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Karel’s greatest joys were sharing meals with family and friends and traveling the world (and playing bridge) with her husband. Her favorite holiday was Thanksgiving, which was apt, as she was the embodiment of gratitude.

Karel is survived by her devoted husband, John Bodamer; son, Alex Eastman; sister, Deborah A. Carstensen; brother, Phillip R. Carstensen (JoLynn); nephew Michael Carstensen (Lauren); nieces Kelly Carstensen, Becki Morrison (Oneil), and Stacey Mueller (Paul); stepdaughter Jen Thatcher (Jesse); stepson Dave Bodamer (Samantha); and countless extended family members.

She was preceded in death by her precious son Brian Eastman, her beloved twin sister Karen Norris, her sister Connie J. Carstensen, and her brother Roger “Rick” L. Carstensen.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Trinity Presbyterian on Aug 5.

Posted online on June 27, 2023

Published in Hendersonville Times-News