Carolyn Ruth Stiffler

Carolyn Ruth Stiffler (née Riley), 79, passed away on Monday, May 24, 2021, in Beavercreek, Ohio, from complications of COPD and congestive heart failure. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on January 1, 1942, Carolyn was the first baby born in the county in the new year.

An only child, Carolyn's parents both worked. Her father, Gilbert Riley (Gibbie), worked for the city electric company in Bloomfield, Indiana, and her mother, Minnie Jane Riley, was a nurse at the Crane Naval Base.

Carolyn attended Bloomfield High School and met her future husband, Jerry Dale Stiffler, when she was in high school. Jerry first saw Carolyn from the lifeguard stand at Shakamak State Park and asked his friend who she was. The friend asked him why he wanted to know. He replied, because she's the girl I'm going to marry. They were married in 1959 and were together for more than 50 years until Jerry's death in 2010.

Carolyn proudly made a career out of being a housewife and mother. Her children's friends always liked coming to the Stiffler house to play, and she was always pleased to have everyone around.

She is survived by her three children, Scott Stiffler, Brian Stiffler, and Sara Stiffler; her daughter-in-law, Bonnie Piper Stiffler; her grandchildren Matthew Riley Stiffler and Amy Stiffler Couch; and her six great-grandchildren Eli, Aiden, Gerald (Jerry), Ethan, Lena, and Elizabeth; and Shayla, a recent blessing to the family.

Carolyn enjoyed crafts, including making collages, building dollhouses, and making necklaces, but her real passion was collecting antiques. When her son, Brian, moved her up to Ohio in 2014, antique dealers from along the Mississippi Gulf Coast rushed out to see what she had in her garage sale, and they were not disappointed by her impressive collection of antique furniture and collectibles.

Carolyn will be laid to rest in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Greencastle, Indiana, alongside her parents, grandparents, cherished aunt Mary Riley Marston, and uncles. Carolyn had fond memories of visiting her grandparents, who had a beautiful Victorian house and grocery store in Greencastle.

Funeral services will be held at Bittles and Hurt Funeral Home, 602 E. Washington St., Greencastle, IN 46135, on Saturday, May 29, 2021, with visitation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., after which the family and guests will proceed to the cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be directed in her name to either The Lung Association of America or to the gofundme fundraiser for Sandra Constantino, the mother of a family friend who has been diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. https://gofund.me/aef8ca48