Carol Ross was a nurse, a knitter, an antique collector, a wife and a mother. When people visited the 82-year-old's house would find themselves in a recreated 1863 midwestern parlor.
That was before the fire at Heather Gardens that killed her and destroyed her home Friday night.
Ross described the furnishings to writer Dala Giffin in the Heather Gardens' monthly newsletter.
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"I can still say I have not bought one thing in this room," she told Giffin in the Heather 'n Yon's September 2017 edition.
Giffin's story said mementos in Ross's home included kerosene lamps, an oriental rug, and old photographs. They were all collected from family and friends, and Carol even took classes to re-upholster furniture to match the mid-19th-century style.
On Sunday night, neighbors gathered outside the home once full of antiques now reduced to rubble to remember their friend.
"Forty-eight hours ago, the heart was literally torn out of Country Place 4," read a reverend to a few dozen people. "We are grieving the loss of Carol Ross, whose smiling face and love of life warmed our hearts."
Ross was the knitting and crocheting teacher at Heather Gardens. Through the years, she knit hats for immigrant families and blankets for the homeless. The octogenarian was not slowing down. Friends said she had traveled all around the world on cruise ships and was planning a trip to Antarctica next month.
"Her smile, her laughter, she talked a lot but that's fine 'cause it was always happiness and you never were bored when you were with Carol," said Joyce Laman who is forever grateful to Ross for her help knitting afghans for a charity project.
On Friday night, the Aurora Fire Department responded to the senior living community for reports of a gas leak. The fire department said moments after they arrived around 5:15, there was an explosion and a fire that killed Carol Ross and injured a firefighter and one other person.