Carmen Marie Geshell's Obituary
CARMEN MARIE GESHELL 12 Nov 1974- 6 Jan 2021
Carmen Marie Geshell departed this life at home in Hawaii Kai on 6 January 2021 after
many years of coping with being paralyzed on her left side from a car wreck in
Nebraska when she was 3 and then she survived the A Bangkok flu virus when she
was 7 in the winter of 1980-81 in Nebraska that killed about 10 children that year in
Nebraska. Carmen was one in a million as she was born with achondroplasia, suffering
from dwarfism, in common terms. As a result of the foregoing, it was decided to move
to Hawaii for Carmen’s future health needs in 1982. It worked as she graduated from
Kaiser High in Honolulu and went on to become Hawaii’s youngest published author at
age 21 when Dale Madden of Island Heritage published her first written and illustrated
children’s book entitled Muffin’s Lesson of Kokua. Carmen and her mother, Carol, then
later published Carmen’s second children’s book: Muffin’s Makapuu Adventure. A few
years later, Jeff Pagay had some cartoon characters so Carmen wrote the stories and
Jeff illustrated three more published children’s books: Surf Rats of Waikiki Beach,
Mele da Mynah’s Noisy ‘Ohana, and Walta Melon. Carmen learned to paint from
Hawaii’s great painter, Patrick Ching, so created many beautiful paintings and sold
them at three locations on Oahu for may years. Carmen is proof positive that life at
times presents us with very difficult tasks and conditions, but she overcame those and
did not complain but continued with her life as above illustrated in a very positive and
cheerful manner. Needless to say, she will be dearly missed by all who knew her and
she is now in Heaven with her mother Carol without any more paralysis and cardiopulmonary difficulties. Aloha and Thank you God for bringing us Carmen in November
of 1974 and enabling her to have a wonderful life under all of her medical conditions
with her outstanding attitude and accomplishments. A celebration of Carmen’s life and
accomplishments will be held later when the pandemic lessens.
Steven - here is a link to an article written about Carmen and Carol in the Star Bulletin
Newspaper:
http://archives.starbulletin.com/98/12/04/features/index.html
What’s your fondest memory of Carmen?
What’s a lesson you learned from Carmen?
Share a story where Carmen's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Carmen you’ll never forget.
How did Carmen make you smile?