Carol M. Shinn passed away February 2 from complications of dementia. Extraordinarily beloved mother of Susan, Sharon, and Raymond (Kris); beloved grandmother of Aaron and Andrew; cherished aunt of Mike (Mary Ann), Kathy (Myron), Kay (Sue), and Karen (Danny); beloved great-aunt; and friend to everybody.

She was born December 5, 1934, and named Carol because of the date's proximity to Christmas. In 1954, she married Raymond James Shinn Jr. of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Seven years and three children later, she was divorced and raising her kids with the help of her extended family, especially her sister Mary.

In the 1960s, she began working as an executive secretary at McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing), but she always remained a little conflicted about the work. (Asked what she did for a living, she would reply, "I build bombs.") She retired in the late 1990s and began working as volunteer coordinator for the Emmaus Homes, a facility for developmentally delayed adults, which was run by the United Church of Christ. She retired from there in the early 2000s.

She was a gifted pianist and the first purchase she made after her divorce was a piano. She taught several generations of family members how to play, and she led all the family singalongs at Christmas and other holidays. She particularly loved assigning parts and conducting the singing for "The Twelve Days of Christmas." She had a lovely alto voice and harmonized effortlessly on everything from hymns to camp songs.

She was a member of the UCC's Immanuel Church in Ferguson for close to 60 years. There she joined the Women's Fellowship and the interfaith committee, taught Sunday School, acted as director for Camp Moval over several summers, helped organize events, and played the piano as needed.

She was smart, warm, whimsical, loyal, andalways at a baseline of happy. She loved books, poems, old movies, Elvis, big cats, crossword puzzles, Scrabble, bridge, pie, candy, hot fudge sundaes, a good bargain, and Hungarian Waltz No. 5.

Mostly she loved people. Throughout her life, she maintained friendships that had started in kindergarten, but she collected people wherever she went. She made friends in the neighborhood, at PTA, at church, at work, standing in line at the grocery store, riding on an Amtrak train, and living in a memory care facility. Every time she entered a room, she introduced herself. Friends commented that she said "Hello, I'm Carol Shinn" so often she should be running for office.

She was particularly drawn to people who were quirky, who had a wild streak, or who needed a friend. If you were lost and overwhelmed—if you were pursuing an improbable career or a nontraditional lifestyle—if you were being bullied at work or mistreated at home—she would be your safe space, your advocate, and your cheerleader. If she loved you, she was 100 percent on your side; and she loved a lot of people.

The piece of advice she offered most often was, "Accept it and go on." That's how all of us will navigate life without her. We will miss her, but we'll accept her passing and go on.

The visitation will be held from 10 am to noon on Wednesday, February 5 at Ortmann Funeral Home at 9222 Lackland Road, St. Louis, MO 63114. The service will take place at noon at Ortmann.

Ortmann Funeral Home   www.osfuneralhomes.com