Rachael E Carden

Rachael E. Carden, 70, of Harrisville, Utah, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on December 6, 2025.

Rachael was born in Lancaster, California, to Keith Tolboe and Muriel (Guy) Carpenter, and grew up alongside her two sisters, Linda and Anita. In 1990 she moved to Utah and bought the home she loved, where she dreamed of a kind of homesteading life and carved out a place that was truly her own.

Over the years, Rachael worked hard in many roles. The job she held the longest was as a truck driver for Hales Sand and Gravel, hauling loads and doing demanding work that suited her strong will. She also took on side jobs, including maid work and caring for horses. She trained as an auto mechanic, but, as a woman in that field at that time, was never given the chance to work in the profession she had prepared for—a fact that said more about the world than about her abilities.

One of the great passions of Rachael’s life was showing dogs. She began with German Shepherds and Collies and eventually focused on Collies, traveling around the country to dog shows. She was always working toward the perfect breeding to create the best genetic match she could. Along the way she won many championships with her dogs and made a number of lasting friendships in the dog-show community.

Rachael had a rebellious, strong-willed, and fiercely independent nature. She was not religious, but she did believe in God. Her sense of humor was quirky and often surfaced in quick, unexpected wisecracks—especially in her writing.

In 2019, she was placed on hospice and told she likely had only days to live. In her stubborn, determined way, she defied those expectations and remained with her family for several more years, enduring many ups and downs in her health.

Rachael is survived by her children, Jerriah Nichols, Chandra Nichols-Bellamy, and Adreanna Pascasio; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren, who will carry forward their own memories of her life, her stories, and her stubborn strength.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Keith Tolboe and Muriel (Guy) Carpenter; and her sisters, Linda and Anita.

She will be remembered for her strength, independence, and quirky humor, and by those who loved her, in all her complexity—her stubbornness, her resilience, and the way she kept going when others might have given up.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Rachael on July 11, 2025, at Maple Grove Campground near Scipio, Utah, one of her favorite places. A group campsite has been reserved from July 10th to 12th for those who wish to camp. Friends and family who would like to attend—whether camping or coming for the day—are asked to RSVP to her daughter Chandra at aprildazlilfarm@gmail.com so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

If anyone would like to share a favorite story or memory during her Celebration of Life, please include in your email that you would like to speak. If you are unable to attend but would still like a story shared, please include it in your email so it can be read by a family member during the gathering.