Carol Ann Verest

Carol Ann Verest (McElligott), 80, of Naperville, Illinois, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 27, 2025.
Carol was born December 20, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, to her loving parents James and Margaret (McCaffrey) McElligott who were surprised to find out they were having twins - Carol born first followed by her sister Margaret. Carol grew up in a loving close-knit Irish Catholic family where she attended Mercy High School. She proudly was the first in her family to obtain a college degree. She graduated from Illinois Teachers College (now Northeastern Illinois University) with a degree in Education and later earned her master's degree from National Louis University while working full-time. She spent 34 years as a teacher working in some of the most underserved communities within the Chicago Public School system. She was known for her commitment to her students and community. She taught 5th grade before becoming the lead teacher in a classroom of students with IEP's in a cross-categorical setting. After completing her master's degree, Carol became a school reading specialist and was responsible for teaching thousands of children to read and increasing entire schools' reading scores.
Carol was an avid traveler and, after coming home from a girl's trip to Europe, the love of her life and soulmate, Paul Verest, realized he could not live a day without her and proposed. Carol and Paul were married in 1971, and enjoyed almost 30 years of marriage together until Carol was widowed at a young age in 2001. Carol and Paul were the proud parents of their daughters, Dawn Norris (David Norris) and Kimberly Verest (Kevin O'Neill).
Carol adored being a mother; she was kind, sincere, patient, loving and quite honestly never yelled. Carol taught her children lessons through her calm but assertive nature. She taught by modeling respect, integrity, compassion, and loyalty. She was a phenomenal listener and had the best advice that seemed to always make things better. Her advice was wise, never judgmental and mixed in with a healthy dose of comedy that left you craving more. She was generous with her time and could be found on the phone all day long talking to her daughters, sisters, family and friends.
Carol traveled to almost every state in the U.S. and all over the globe including Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Central America, two African safaris and countless trips to her all-time favorite, Hawaii. Carol retired early and knew to treat each day as a gift and to live life to its fullest. As well as traveling, she joined bowling and golf leagues, was the queen of a good lunch date (that would turn into shopping and dinner too) and her ultimate favorite retirement activity of spending time with her daughters and beloved grandchildren. Gaga, as her grandchildren called her, was the absolute best player. She created entire imaginary worlds with just her fingers and a few silly voices. Her five grandchildren: Paul, Summer and Lacey Norris and Paul and Kinzie O'Neill will forever hold her in their hearts and imaginations.
In addition to her parents and husband (Paul), Carol was predeceased by her sisters Mary (Chuck) Johnson, Irene (Anthony) Marro and Kathleen, and her brothers Thomas and John. She is survived by her oldest brother James (Dorothy) McElligott, her twin sister Margaret, her brother Thomas's wife, Shirley, her sister-in-law's Toni (Ralph) Pietrowski and Penny Verest as well as numerous nieces, nephews and her best friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a memorial donation be made to UCPSeguin of Greater Chicago and that you take a moment to stop and play a silly game or read a good book with a child to enrich the future for us all.
She will forever be remembered for her kindness, unwavering integrity, and love for her family. Her laughter and wisdom were gifts to everyone who knew her.