Carol Antonio

1940 - 2026

Carol Jones Antonio passed away peacefully on January 17th less than a month before her 86th birthday. She was surrounded by three generations of her family that loved her dearly. She was predeceased by her parents, Ralph and Rhody Jones, her son James F. Ilnicky, and her husband Anthony I. Antonio.

Carol is survived by her son, Scott Ilnicky (Helen) of Richmond, VA and daughter, Beth Shaffer (Jake) of Washington, NC as well as seven grandchildren all scattered around the country; Henry Ilnicky, Zeke Shaffer (Julia), Caleigh Gabel (Austin), Caroline Ilnicky, Amelia Shaffer, Malcolm Ilnicky, and Connor James (Jared) and four (and counting) great-grandchildren; Beau, Margaret, Wells, and Mac. She is also survived by her brother, Richard F. Jones (Clair) of Charlottesville, VA and her niece, Julie Mischler (Evan) and their daughter Mae.

Mom was born in Phillipsburg, NJ and raised in Edison, NJ. She graduated from New Brunswick High School's class of 1958 then briefly attended Douglass College before marrying her first husband, and raising her family in Highland Park, NJ. There she was active in her children's lives and the community in roles with the PTA, League of Women Voters, the Zoning Commission, and the Board of Education.

Every summer Mom loaded up the car on the last day of school and took us to the Poconos to spend the summer with our grandparents (Ralph and Rhody). Many of our fondest memories of Mom are from those summer months.

After her first marriage, Mom successfully reinvented herself as a working single mom and began a 15 + year career in the Middlesex County Court system. She met Tony Antonio and remarried in 1982 and relocated to Bridgewater, NJ where they lived until they retired and moved to Blacksburg, VA.

Mom and Tony loved living in Blacksburg and quickly became huge Hokies fans (to the chagrin of the Ilnickys). She and Tony were life-long learners and took advantage of all the great programs a college town had to offer. Mom was an avid reader and for many years was a member of her book club, the Loose Leaves.

They also loved New York City with its theater, museums, and culture and they visited their friends there as often as they could. Mom and Tony loved to travel and went on many interesting trips that included a visit to the Great Wall of China.

But the true light in Mom's life was the lives of her grandchildren and she was an active participant in those lives. She loved attending their sporting events, plays, graduations, and weddings. She was thrilled to become a great-grandmother (of course she already was one).

After the death of Tony, she moved to the Cypress Glen Retirement Community in Greenville, NC to be near her daughter. The family would like to thank the staff and caregivers from Cypress Glenn for their fellowship and care over the last several years.

We will all miss her and her famous "sheesh" that many of us say without even realizing it!

Services will be private and held at a later date.