Carolyn Browning Balfour

McHENRY – Carolyn Browning Balfour, 45, of McHenry, passed away Monday, May 24, 2010, at Centegra Medical Center – McHenry.
She was born Sept. 6, 1964, in Des Moines, Iowa.
In her early years, she excelled in sports and was an excellent student. She was a 1982 graduate of Cary-Grove High School and a 1986 graduate of Northern Illinois University. She went on to pursue her horticultural interests. Her biggest joys were gardening and spending time in nature. She especially enjoyed being a wife and mother and spending time with her family and extended family. She is loved and will be missed by her family very much.
Survivors include her husband, Steve, whom she married June 7, 1986, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church; her children, Maddie, Rick and Charlie Balfour; her mother, Joyce Cross of Cary; her siblings, Ann (Ron) Cardo of Oshkosh, Wis., David Cross of Cary, Joan (Rich) Zurek of Phoenix, John (Mary) Cross of Woodstock and Liz (Jason) Fiala of Crystal Lake; her mother-in-law, Hazel Balfour of Crystal Lake; her sisters-in-law, Shari (Joe) Vogel of Princeton, Sandy (Jim) Knulty of Fontana, Wis., and Stacy (Mike) Van Vleet of Rockford; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father, Charles Cross; her father-in-law, Richard Balfour; and her sister-in-law, Susan Saiz.
A memorial visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 28, at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave. (Route 176), Crystal Lake. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 29, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 1023 McHenry Ave., Crystal Lake, where there will be visitation from 9 a.m. until the Mass celebration. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in her name may be made to Gift of Hope, www.giftofhope.org, or 888-307-3668.
Friends may leave online condolences for the family at www.davenportfamily.com. For information, call the funeral home at 815-459-3411.