Carol A. Connor (82), a long-time resident of Carol Stream, IL passed away on January 13, 2025 at Silverado Memory Care of St. Charles, IL.

Carol is survived by her daughter Cheryl Sowa, son-in-law, Steve Sowa, and her cherished grandchildren, Kyle and Maggie Sowa, of Carol Stream, IL.

She leaves her dear brother, Jerry (Carolyn) Fritsch, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, and their families, Dave (Kris), Christopher (Jess), Noah (Abby), Jakob and Isaac Fritsch. She also leaves her best friend (her “sis”) Cheryl (Jed) Guilloz of Uniontown, Ohio, and their daughter Brooke (Todd) Theriot. She was preceded in death by her adoptive parents, James and Irene Horak, and her ex-husband, Cheryl’s father, James Beilfuss.

Born in Chicago, on December 20, 1942, Carol was adopted by James and Irene Horak. In early 1943, James was drafted into the Navy and assigned to Jacksonville, Florida, where Carol charmed the sailors wanting to gift the cute little girl an ice cream cone. She always told about how she would take a lick, and then hand it right back. In 1945, her father was discharged and the family returned to their home on the southwest side of Chicago. Carol graduated from Maria High School in 1959, where she excelled in secretarial studies, under her favorite teacher, the late Sister Concetta, who remained a lifelong friend.

Carol began her career as an executive assistant at Sears Corporation, and continued to build her portfolio by completing Professional Leadership Training through the Dale Carnegie Institute. While working at Sears, she met James Beilfuss. They married in 1961, and moved to their first home in Carol Stream in 1962. They instantly built lifelong friendships with their neighbors, John (Audrey) Chaffee, Charles (Carole) Tucek, and their children. When their daughter, Cheryl, was born, Carol became a stay-at-home mom. As an active community member, she was involved with the school district’s PTA and village events. She devoted herself to being a member of St. Luke’s Catholic Church by singing in the choir, filling in to play the organ or piano, and joining various committees.

Following her divorce from Jim in 1978, she returned to the workplace as an administrative assistant for the Mining and Mineral Processing Chemicals Sales and Marketing Group of Nalco Chemical Company in Oakbrook, IL. As the company expanded, so did her skills. She fiercely complained about the day they took away her typewriter, and then went on to become an Excel spreadsheet master! When Nalco relocated their headquarters to Naperville, IL in 1986, Carol continued to be recognized for her organizational skills, and added “executive meeting planner” to her repertoire. She retired in 1998, but within a year was invited back to Nalco. For the next few years, Carol continued to work with her favorite sales group, and was honored to become an administrative assistant on the executive floor until her final retirement in 2007.

Beyond taking pride in her career, Carol shared her time and talents through her involvement with her church community. After over 40 years as a member at St. Luke’s, Carol chose to join Lutheran Church of the Master (ELCA) in Carol Stream in 2003. She served on multiple committees, the church council, as a choir member, and an office volunteer who enjoyed filling interim positions as the church secretary. LCoM became her second home. If she wasn’t traveling or spending time with her family, she could be found at the church...organizing supplies and music, tallying the Sunday collections with her friend, the late Jan Froehlich, or just having a good time with everyone in the office. However, due to a decline in her health, Carol left the activities at the church near the end of 2020. She always praised God for blessing her with all the wonderful friends she made during those years.

Carol loved to travel, and she discovered many amazing places with family and friends. There were multiple excursions with her “travel bunch,” Don and Becky Daebelliehn, and the late Patricia Witteveen and Patricia Mattingly. These trips required months of planning sessions and resulted in dinner table stories filled with riotous laughter recounting their travels. Summer trips with Cheryl, Kyle, and Maggie, were a tradition. She made sure the kids experienced as much as possible from Washington D.C. to the House on the Rock, and everything in between. Yearly summer visits with her family in Iowa helped forge a tight bond with the cousins. After her first trip to Hawaii in 1982, she fell in love with the beauty of the islands, especially Maui, and the wonderful people she met! She made over 15 trips to Maui, some with family and friends, but most of the time she went alone. She visited Molokai, Kauai, the Big Island of Hawaii, and Oahu - where she would specifically go to visit and pay respects at the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Carol immersed herself in the Hawaiian culture, and the unique and rich history of all the islands. She especially sends Aloha Nui Loa to her Maui friends.

Carol sends “a hui hou kākou” (until we meet again) to all her family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, she requests donations to

The Pacific Whale Foundation https://secure.pacificwhale.o…

or Pacific Historic Parks https://www.pacifichistoricpa…

It was Carol’s wish to be cremated, with a private scattering of her ashes.

A Celebration of Life service, expressly created by Carol, will be held this summer.

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