Carole M. Livingston

Carole M. Livingston, 82, of Fairfax, Iowa passed away on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, at The Gardens of Cedar Rapids because of a brain tumor. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, 4200 First Ave., NE, Cedar Rapids, IA. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. John XXIII Catholic Church, 8100 Roncalli Dr. SW, in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 9:00 a.m. viewing, Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. Cemetery interment will follow at St. Patrick Cemetery in rural Fairfax. A luncheon at St. John XXIII to follow the cemetery interment. Carole was born on Mar. 25, 1943, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the daughter of Frank and Maxine (Havlik) Svoboda. Her family lived in Cedar Rapids where she attended All Saints Catholic School. She graduated from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids in 1961. Carole was united in marriage to John "Jack" Livingston on June 1, 1963, at All Saints Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids, he died in 2020. Carole was able to stay home and take care of her family while the kids were younger. She went on to work at Amana Refrigeration, Bev Schrader's Drapery, Frontier Cooperative Herbs as a production planner, and later JoAnn's Fabrics. Carole was a member of the St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Fairfax for many years and then of St. John XXIII Catholic Church where she worshipped, attended weekly potlucks and was a part of the Prayer Shawl group, putting her knitting skills to work. She was an award-winning quilter, belonging to the East Iowa Heirloom Quilters of Cedar Rapids and enjoyed her small group quilting friends. Carole enjoyed traveling with her husband, children, and quilters. She was an avid Iowa Women's Basketball and Indiana Fever fan. Carole was a member of the Fairfax Public Library Book Club. She enjoyed getting together with her friends for the Cedar Rapids Community Concerts. Carole was also a member of BetterLife, Swisher IA. The highlight of her life was spending time with her family and attending their events. She is survived by her children, Joseph (Tina) Livingston of Rochester, MN, Jeffrey (Jaki) Livingston of Norwalk and Julie (Dennis) Magee of Dunkerton; six grandchildren August, Charles (Megan), and Eleanor Magee, and Abbigail (Jackson) Doud, Elizabeth, and John "Jack" Livingston; great-grandchild Oliver Doud; brother Dennis Svoboda of Cedar Rapids, and sister-in-law Marlene Kuhn of Cedar Rapids. She is preceded in death by her husband, parents, and parents-in-law Lawrence and Harriet (Kelly) Livingston. The family would like to thank Carole's care teams at Mercy Hospital Medical Center, Cedar Rapids, The Gardens of Cedar Rapids, and Mercy Hospice. Memorials may be directed to Hospice of Mercy, 701 10th St. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 Online condolences are welcome at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.