Carole A. Thomas of Chicago and Dubuque died on September 24, 2023, in Dubuque.  Daughter of Edgar Allan and Beatrice Thomas, she was a retired teacher who received her B.A. in 1965 from Mundelein Women’s College.  She received her M.Ed. from Loras in 1978.  Carole taught Language Arts for three years in District 63 in Niles, Illinois, one year at St. Patrick’s Separate School in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, and thirty years at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Dubuque.  She was invigorated by her students whose antics “kept her young.”

After retiring, she volunteered for fifteen years at the Carnegie Stout Public Library in the Administration office, sharing her proofreading and writing skills.  She was an avid reader and loved blues and classical music, sometimes escaping to New Orleans for the winter.  She served several years as secretary of the Old House Enthusiasts, and wrote many of their tour brochures.

Like her brother, Edgar John, Carole loved animals, adopting over thirty cats and seven dogs in her lifetime.  A private burial will be held at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Galena, Illinois.  Memorials may be donated to the Dubuque Humane Society.

Online condolences for Carole’s family and friends may be left at www.tristatecremationcenter.com