Carolyn Jean Sherbert

Our dear mother, Carolyn Jean Sherbert, died peacefully in her sleep on June 4, 2023, in hospice care after a long illness. Carolyn was born to Verna and Edwin Zahn on February 18, 1934, in Wausau, Wisconsin. She grew up in Wausau, then graduated from Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Carolyn majored in English, imbuing her family with a love of books and words (no one could beat her at Scrabble).

Carolyn left Wisconsin for California, then lived in Champaign-Urbana for most of her adult life. She worked for several years for the University of Illinois Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) where she coordinated resource delivery for blind and visually impaired students. She worked as the Testing Center Manager at Parkland College from 1980 to her retirement in 2000. At Parkland she managed the technical aspects of all tests for life science courses and the human aspects of working with students. A lifelong birder, she shared her keen interest in birds with her family and beloved Parkland friends.

Carolyn leaves behind her daughters Katherine (Richard) Badertscher of Indianapolis and Cynthia Sherbert (Mark Strom) of Wasilla, Alaska and her granddaughter Karen (Matt) Turnbough, also of Indianapolis. Her parents and two siblings Edwin and Marion (Mimi) preceded her in death. Her sister Vivian also survives.

The family expresses their deepest gratitude to the Brooke Knoll Village and Keystone Hospice staff. Carolyn loved flowers, but please honor her memory with an enduring gift to a local animal welfare charity or the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.