Caroline Semerad

1989 - 2022

Caroline Adelle Semerad, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away unexpectedly on August 9. She was 32 years old. Caroline was born September 15, 1989, in Royal Oak Michigan, to Lauren Hollingsworth and Jim Semerad, and grew up in Ruston, Louisiana. She was admitted to the Honors Program at Louisiana State University on a full academic scholarship, where she graduated with a B.S. in Psychology. At the time of her death, she had just completed her third semester at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University Nursing School in Baton Rouge, where she felt she had finally found her true calling. The outpouring of grief and kind words from her faculty and fellow students are testament to Caroline's optimism and commitment to her future as a nurse and the life she was making for herself and her 5-year-old daughter Anna: "I will always remember Caroline's perseverance, transparency, and her compassion for others, particularly her classmates. She had a drive like no other student I have encountered." "The nursing profession has lost an asset. She was going to do great things." "I will always remember her and the impact she has made on my classmates and I. She was the glue to our group, she never met a stranger. She was such an amazing friend, classmate, Mother and advocator for all." A deeply kind child, Caroline grew up to be a passionate champion of the lonely, the dispossessed, the struggling and the underdog. The week before her death, she enlisted her daughter Anna to help her make and deliver 200 cookies for MOR (Meals, Outreach, Resources), where they regularly volunteered together. Caroline was also an active volunteer at the Baton Rouge Food Bank. Her family remember Caroline's generosity, keen intelligence, artistic and creative talents, and entrepreneurial gifts, all evident at a very young age. As a child she loved to make and sell things, from lemonade and cookies in her neighborhood to handmade purses and bracelets. She was frequently starting her own little businesses. She had a garden. A lifelong animal lover, Caroline gave her grandparents a poodle mix puppy Beau now 12 years old. Caroline is survived by her daughter, Anna Adelle Navarria, her mother, Lauren Hollingsworth of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, her father Jim Semerad of Clarkston, Michigan, grandparents Dan and Faye Hollingsworth of Ruston, Louisiana, and Jeremiah (Jerry) Semerad of Ocala, Florida, and many aunts, uncles and cousins in the Hollingsworth and Semerad families, who loved her and will miss her greatly. At this time, a memorial service is planned for the family.