Carol A. Granat

Obituary of Carol A. Granat

Carol was born in Chicago, IL, on April 20, 1939, a daughter of the late Evelyn (Whitebread) and Earl Bringe. She was raised in Chicago's Avalon Park neighborhood.

Carol is the beloved wife of the late James A. Granat; loving mother of Kimberly (Phillip) Lullo and Colleen (Robert) Oliver; dear grandmother of Andrew (Rhea), Gary, Tim and Phillip (Cynthia); proud "Nanee" of Cheyenne, Korbin and Roderik. Also surviving are two brothers, Kenneth (late Dorothy) Bringe, Keith (Linna) Bringe, and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband of 49 years, Carol is also preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Eugene Bringe.

Carol loved children. After the death of her husband, Jim, she devoted several years to being an advocate for CASA of River Valley. Being a court appointed special advocate meant the world to her. She devoted many hours to training, home visits, and attending court hearings. Nothing made her happier than when the young boy she spent several years representing was finally adopted into a loving home. Carol also volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. She became the "grandmother" to a local young lady and enjoyed being a positive mentor in her life.

Carol loved to travel. After retiring and moving to Las Vegas in 1993, Carol and Jim had plenty of time to explore the American West. They took frequent trips to California enjoying places like Catalina Island, attending the Rose Bowl parade, and the Pageant of the Masters to name just a few. She loved having visitors come out to Las Vegas so she could show them the town. She especially loved taking them to the local casinos where she was convinced the slots paid better than the strip. And she must have been right, because she frequently won!

Carol loved cookies, ice cream, pizza, lasagna, cheeseburgers from White Castle, and an occasional piña colada. She loved to say that there was always room for ice cream, and if you put that ice cream into a chocolate malt, then that was even better. She was proud to say she had never met a vegetable that she actually liked.

She will be missed by her family and friends. We will miss the terribly off-key renditions of Happy Birthday song on our birthdays, and the cherry jello mold she made every Thanksgiving. We will miss the turtle cookies she would bake at the holidays and how much she loved being with family on Christmas Eve. We can take comfort in the fact that she's with Jim, her parents, and all the wonderful family and friends that she loved and longed to see again.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Story Point in Romeoville. So many of the Care team became like family to us. We will never forget their kindness. We would also like to thank the staff at Burgess Square who worked tirelessly to try to help her recover. Finally, we would like to thank the staff at Lightways Hospice. Their immeasurable support this past week has made this extremely difficult transition a little less stressful.

Funeral services for Carol will be held Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois, at 11:00 a.m. Those wishing to attend are asked to arrive at the Cemetery Information Center at 10:45 a.m.

Should you choose to make a donation in remembrance of Carol, please consider these organizations: CASA of River Valley at casaofrivervalley.org

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois/Fox Hill Home at Lssi.org (Please be sure to specify the Fox Hill Home.)

For more information, please call (815) 741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com, where you can share a favorite memory or leave a condolence.