Carol Marie O'Neal

Carol O'Neal passed away peacefully on May 14 at age 95. She was born in Chicago on April 5, 1930. She had two daughters: Jules (Julia), who predeceased her, and Kate (Lori). Carol has one granddaughter, Soleil, by Kate, and grandchildren Abbey, Andrew, Ashley and Aaron and eight great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild by Jules with her husband David.

The first in her family to attend college, Carol achieved a Master's Degree in Speech Pathology and had a successful professional practice in Illinois public schools and with private clients. Carol attended Monmouth College in Illinois, and the University of Iowa in Iowa City. With her late husband Chuck (Charles), Carol raised her daughters in Clarendon Hills, Illinois. Always a creative spirit, Carol created art, wrote poetry and engaged in gardening, hiking, canoeing and bicycling. Carol was outspoken and made friends everywhere she went. She built a new life in her 70s when she moved to Los Angeles.

Carol lived most of her life in Chicago, and she eagerly embraced the city's cultural activities. She was a regular subscriber to opera, symphony, dance, theater, and art museums and galleries. Carol loved to dance, and she was a fan of many styles of music including jazz, classical, rock, folk and blues. She shared all of this with her daughters, who had childhoods rich with cultural exposure that influenced the rest of their lives.

Carol had a passion for travel, starting in her 20s with a multi-day bicycle trip in the Northeast U.S., during which she and another young woman explored and stayed in hostels including a hayloft. Carol enjoyed many family vacations around the US, including Arizona, New Mexico, Niagara Falls, Nashville, New Orleans, Wisconsin, and other destinations. Later Carol traveled internationally, having fascinating experiences in Morocco, Japan, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Guatemala, Cuba, Mexico and Italy.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Carol's memory can be made to DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center, where Carol was a popular longtime volunteer. Please visit www.dupageforest.org