Carol Adele Tatick, 73, died November 13, 2025, at Lompoc Hospital after a yearlong battle that she fought with courage and hope against lung cancer and related complications. Her husband, Bo, siblings Janice and Chuck, and Pastor Greg Nelson were at her bedside.

Carol was born April 20, 1952, in the small town of Melton, Suffolk, England, to U.S. Air Force Buck Sergeant Charles L. Tatick and Pauline Tatick (née Cason), of nearby Ipswich. A spirited and imaginative child, she announced early on that she wanted to be a horse, much to the dismay of her young brother, who endured a brief visit to the hospital when his sister-horse bucked him off and he struck his head on a table. Carol's passion for horses grew into a lifelong love of animals, especially dogs such as English and Irish setters. Carol and her family spent 1969 in England while her father served a tour of duty in Vietnam. In 1970, she graduated from Cabrillo High School in Vandenberg Village. She then pursued her enduring love of poetry and literature, earning a degree in English from Sacramento State University. She worked as a tech writer in Silicon Valley and finished her career in the aerospace industry at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Carol is survived by her husband of 23 years, Bo Poertner; father Charles L. Tatick; brother Chuck Tatick; and sister Kathy Tatick, all of Lompoc; and sister Janice Johnson, of Redding. She was a voracious letter writer who left behind many close friends who will remember her for her joy of life, keen sense of humor, and abiding loyalty to them. Carol was preceded in death by her mother, Pauline Tatick, and sister Linda Tatick.

Carol will be buried on January 6, 2026, at Lompoc Cemetery. A gathering of family and friends will follow at the Tatick home on Rigel Avenue.