Carol Burgess, 78, formerly of South Bend, Indiana passed away on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was born on January 6, 1948 in Berwyn, Illinois to the late John E. and Dorothea (Wilson) Burgess. Carol is survived by her niece, Erica (Jim) and great-nieces Zoe and Lessie Avery of Glendale, Wisconsin; her nephew Jeffrey Burgess of Glendale, Wisconsin, and her sister-in-law, Joyce Burgess of Glendale, Wisconsin. She is also survived by her beloved pooch, Brockway, who revels in ruling the roost in the Avery household. She leaves behind many friends both in South Bend and at St. Camillus in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. She was preceded in death by her brother, John A. Burgess, and two nephews, Patrick A. Burgess and Christopher J. Burgess.

Carol received her undergraduate degree from Parsons College in Iowa and went on to receive her Master’s Degree in Education from Louisiana State University. Carol spent over 30 years working in the South Bend Community School Corporation; first as a Learning Disabilities instructor and then a high school Government, Civics, and Social Studies teacher. She impacted the lives of thousands of students.

Carol loved to travel and spent time in Germany, Austria, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Alaska. She also traveled within the States, oftentimes traveling in search of information about her family genealogy. She was able to trace both sides of her family back hundreds of years through parish registries, censuses, ship catalogs, and other historical documents.

She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, playing golf and tennis, biking, playing cards and games or just talking. She never met a stranger and could talk easily with anyone and everyone. She spent the last few years of her life in Assisted Living at St. Camillus in Wisconsin. She was seldom in her room as she spent her time walking the halls, joining every activity, visiting friends, and making new friends. It was what she referred to as ‘Old Lady Summer Camp’ and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

As Carol said, “I was here. Now I’m gone. I had family. I had friends. I had faith. I had love. Life was good.”

04/01/2026 JFC