A Michigan woman was killed by a hippopotamus while on an African safari in Tanzania over the weekend. Carol Kirken, 75, reportedly died in the arms of her son Saturday while on vacation. Details around the event remained unclear Thursday.

Saturday was the last day the Rochester Hills resident wrote on social media, Fox News affiliate WJBK reported Wednesday, at which time she posted about a large hippo migration. She was reportedly killed the same day, with friends and family saying that she died in her son’s arms.

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“Just shock,” Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett, a colleague who frequently worked with Kirken, told WJBK of her death. “There are few people in the community that you think of that are absolute treasures and Carol is one of those in our community.”

Kirken was reportedly a respected member of her Rochester Hills community, where she was a founding member of a women's initiative called Rochester Area Women's Fund. Her obituary noted she was active in a number of other community organizations as well.

“Her current charitable interests focused on the North Oakland YMCA where she was a board of director member and an adamant daily user of its facilities,” the obituary read. “Her central focus was supporting military members and their dependents with financial assistance for North Oakland YMCA programs.”

“It's with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of my mother Carol Kirken while on vacation in Africa with family on August 5th 2017,” her son, Kris Kirken Strickler, wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “Due to the suddenness of her passing details of her funeral arrangements have not been finalized at this time. She touched so many lives during her 75 years on this earth. She will be solely missed.”

A vigil was scheduled for Sunday at the Potere-Modetz Funeral home in Rochester. A web page for the event saw an outpouring of condolences as friends and acquaintances shared their memories of Kirken.

“I met Carol while working at Crittenton Hospital,” wrote Monica Harrison. “She was kind, compassionate and an inspiration to so many people. I will always remember her laughter, smile, and the love she had for family and friends. She will truly be missed. Rest in peace Carol.”

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“Carol was an inspiration to me, a woman who aged beautifully, gracefully, and with so much zest for life,” Seila Messing said. “She always asked me how my own mother was doing (my mother's health was poor — she wasn't much older than Carol). I'll miss seeing her smiling face at the YMCA. Prayers for her family members - may God bring forth the many good memories and comfort you as you grieve, helping especially those who were with her when the accident occurred.”

“A wonderful and caring next door neighbor in Ortonville and so much fun,” Jan Martin wrote on the website.

According to her obituary, “Her husband and life partner Bill was happy to work behind the scenes to provide his own support and encouragement for Carol’s interests. He knew that he was ‘…the luckiest man in the world’ to have Carol for his wife and love.”

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