Born February 28, 1940 in Cotton Valley, Louisiana to Grady and Lillie Mae (Rigdon) Nelson, she married Kenneth Howard September 13, 1958 in Cotton Valley Louisiana. They divorced. She later married O. Darold Lynn on October 13, 2006. He preceded her in death on March 9, 2013 in San Jose. She was also preceded in death by her parents and seven siblings.
Surviving are her two children, Deborah (Scott) Kalhammer of Forest City, Jeff Howard of Marquette Heights; Darold’s four children, Sue Franz, Debbie Evans, Mark Lynn and Diana Blane; six grandchildren, Brandon Howard, Taylor Meyer, Brea Kalhammer, Justin Myer, Rikie Kalhammer and John Howard; two great-grandchildren, Kaelyn Howard and Mathew Hidalgo; one sister, Ezelle White of Texas and one sister-in-law, Maggie Nelson of Shreveport, Louisiana.
She had worked at Kroger for over 30 years, retiring in 2002.
Carolyn spent her free time reading, bowling and going on drives. She loved traveling with Darold and especially taking trips back to Louisiana. She also enjoyed eating dinners with her fellow Kroger retirees.
Her funeral will be 10 a.m. Saturday, September 10, 2022 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Pastor Keith Winkler will officiate. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will be at Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Children's Benefit Fund, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, 406 East Monroe Street, #412 Springfield Illinois 62701.
To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com
