Carolyn Dungan, a lifelong resident of Springfield, had a profound affect on her household, mates and the Springfield group.
“Carolyn was an extremely type and beneficiant individual,” stated John Stremsterfer, president and CEO of the Group Basis for the Land of Lincoln. “She and her household have supported numerous causes in our group, and her legacy will likely be felt for generations to come back.”
Her sister, Kathy Germeraad, stated, “Carolyn’s legacy is that she made the world round her a extra lovely place.”
Carolyn attended Springfield public faculties, graduating from Springfield Excessive College in 1975. She earned a bachelor’s diploma in inside design from Purdue College in 1979 and started her profession at Kittles Furnishings in Indianapolis. She met her husband, Dan Dungan, in Indianapolis, and so they settled in Springfield in 1984. Carolyn created her personal enterprise, CSD Design Group, and applied quite a few residential and business design tasks throughout central Illinois over a few years.
Carolyn’s household was her biggest pleasure and precedence. She was a faithful spouse to Dan for over 42 years and proud mom of their twins, Caitlin Simhauser and Colin Dungan. She was Mimi to her granddaughters, Nora and Anna Simhauser. Carolyn adored spending time with the ladies, her love and heat at all times shining by.
“Certainly one of my favourite issues about my mother was her potential to take pleasure in and respect the awe and great thing about life,” stated Caitlin. “She taught me to search for the nice, the sweetness and the perfect in individuals and in the world,” stated son Colin.
From a younger age and all through her life, Carolyn cherished artwork, music and nature. She took artwork classes on the Springfield Artwork Affiliation as a toddler and as an grownup and have become a proficient artist, excelling in portray and pastels.
“Mother’s love of the humanities was bestowed upon me – and my sister – as quickly as we may maintain a brush. Her love of arts helped me discover my very own ardour as properly,” stated Colin.
“Carolyn was keen about visible artwork and a terrific supporter of the SAA,” stated government director Betsy Greenback. “She served on the SAA board, chaired the Edwards Place Tremendous Artwork Truthful, sponsored many occasions and infrequently pulled weeds and planted flowers to maintain the grounds wanting good.”
Along with serving to many individuals make their properties extra lovely, Carolyn’s abilities have been additionally exhibited by her love of flowers and gardening. Her yard was her refuge and an oasis. “She nurtured not simply her lovely flowers, but additionally the hearts of these round her,” stated Caitlin. “She appreciated the splendor of our bodily world and was a grasp curator of expressing it for others to see it, too.”
Diane Mathis was a longtime pal and one in every of her strolling buddies at Washington Park. Mathis says Carolyn was “at all times observant and in awe of the distinction within the sunrises with the change of the seasons and the way it influenced the pure panorama.” Mathis describes her pal as quiet, mild, compassionate, sturdy and humble.
“Carolyn not solely cared for her household, she cared about our group – schooling, arts, well being care, enterprise and most significantly, humanity,” stated Mathis. “Her generosity and dedication had a broad outreach. She shared numerous relationships with individuals of all pursuits with friendships constructed on belief and integrity.”
Carolyn was lively in lots of civic and volunteer organizations – the Junior League of Springfield, P.E.O. Chapter EO, Illini Nation Membership, Gap-In-The-Wall Golf Membership in Naples, Florida, and Naples Yacht Membership. She served on the boards of the Springfield Parks Basis, Illinois Symphony Orchestra and SAA. She was a lifelong member of Westminster Presbyterian Church the place she served as deacon and elder.
Carolyn’s dad and mom, Mary and Invoice Schnirring, based Springfield Electrical. “Carolyn noticed from a younger age how dedicated her dad and mom have been to serving to others, and she or he carried on their legacy of service in so some ways,” stated Ed Curtis, president and CEO of Memorial Well being. “She introduced heat, creativity and fervour to every thing she did, particularly her work locally, and impressed others to comply with her instance.”
The Schnirring, Dungan and Germeraad households all established funds on the CFLL, and Carolyn’s focus was the humanities.
“I am concerned with increasing the humanities locally,” Carolyn stated on the time. “It is at all times one of many first issues that’s reduce in faculties. Not each scholar is nice at math and science, English or historical past. We predict the humanities assist a scholar turn out to be a well-rounded particular person, serving to our group thrive.”
“She leaves behind a legacy of kindness, creativity, and compassion, stated Caitlin. “Allow us to honor her by carrying her gentle ahead, nurturing magnificence and style in our personal lives and increasing a serving to hand to others, simply as she did.”
Karen Ackerman Witter admired Carolyn Dungan for a few years, witnessing her many acts of kindness. Carolyn planted flowers alongside the fence and sidewalk subsequent to her home and put out a water bowl for canines, merely to complement the lives of others who occurred to stroll by her nook of the place she referred to as house.
