Carol Ann Pflasterer

Carol Ann Pflasterer -- farmer's daughter, recipe collector, family genealogist, National Park enthusiast, and confidant -- passed away at home on her 85th birthday, Sunday Nov, 27, 2022, surrounded by family and friends. Carol was born in Hinsdale, IL on November 27, 1937, the daughter of Samuel and Laura (Anderson) Wilkins. She married Roger Orlan Pflasterer on August 5, 1966 at Central Christian Church in Kankakee, IL. They shared nearly 33 years together before he preceded her in death on January 22, 1999. Carol was just a country girl at heart, but Roger's work took them beyond the family farm in Manteno, on County Line Road, to Arizona and Texas, before settling back in Manteno in 1994. Wherever they went, Carol seemed to find her way back to her family and friends and the small town that she cherished. Carol was part of the Class of '55, the first to graduate from the "new" Manteno High School. She was a life member of the Manteno Historical Society and a member and past officer of the Manteno Women's Club. She was a member of the Community Presbyterian Church, but was known to also attend services at other local churches, depending on which one had the best music and food! Carol loved a good story, a good project and she naturally found ways to weave them together. She passed along her love of quilting sitting around the frame during the winter months and she collected quilts and quilting friends throughout her life. She got caught up in the scrapbooking craze and told our family stories through the volumes of pictures and mementos collected throughout the years. The Wilkins genealogy had been well researched, so she focused on documenting the Pflasterer genealogy through church records and other documents, some requiring translation from German. Springtime meant digging in the dirt, planting and gardening. Some of her best times were spent learning and teaching canning, especially bread and butter pickles, apricot jam and apple butter. After the pantry was stocked for eating and sharing, it would soon be time for cookies. When Roger's Christmas Cookie Factory came to an end, the Cookie Lady emerged a few years later with a passion to decorate cookies with new ingredients and techniques. Boxes of cookies were mailed across the country and plates were delivered around town. Many a co-worker, nephew, friend or postal worker looked forward to Carol's Christmas cookies each year. Besides sharing jars of jam and plates of cookies, Carol loved to entertain friends and family. Whether an afternoon tea, a holiday dinner or a Mardis Gras party, she loved to try new recipes and introduce new foods whenever possible. This love of food and recipes led to the publishing of two family and friends cookbooks. Version 2.0 arrived just in time for Carol to mail a dozen copies, as well as share a few with visitors. This would be her final project. Outside of the home, Carol worked many years as an executive assistant at Riverside Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital and the University of Chicago. Two of her career highlights were a stint as the first patient representative at Riverside and organizing a reception for Pulitzer Prize winners at the University of Chicago. Surviving are four sons and four daughters-in-law, Scott Lyons and Meizhen Ru, Bob and Debbie Pflasterer, John and Karen Pflasterer, J.P. and Erin Pflasterer; one daughter and one son-in-law, Lisa Lyons and Steve Goad; eight grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, Roger, she was preceded in death by her parents, and one sister, Jeanne Campbell. A visitation will be held at 10 a.m. with a funeral service following at 11 a.m. on Saturday Dec. 10, at Community Presbyterian Church, Manteno. The funeral service will be streamed on the church's Facebook page and will be posted later on their YouTube channel. Cremation rites will be accorded prior to the services and private inurnment will occur at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Manteno Historical Society or the National Park Foundation.

Carol Ann Pflasterer

November 27, 1937 - November 27, 2022