A teacher many longtime Galesburg residents will remember from their own school days has died.
Carolyn S. Park, 93, of Galesburg, died Thursday, July 23, 2026, at OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria.
Park spent 41 years teaching second grade in Galesburg, at Hitchcock and Bateman elementary schools before retiring from Lincoln Elementary School in 1996, according to her son, Robert Park.
She was a 1951 graduate of Galesburg High School and Knox College in 1955, followed by a master’s degree from Western Illinois University in 1962.
Music was a lasting part of Park’s life outside the classroom. She was a charter member of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony, and played in the Knox Sandburg Band, the Knoxville Community Band and the Community Chorus. She was also a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, where she served as Minister of Communion, sang in the choir, and took part in the Ruth Circle.
Park was deeply involved in her college sororities, Alpha Xi Delta and Sigma Alpha Iota, continuing on in their alumni chapters and serving for years as Province President of Sigma Alpha Iota. She also belonged to the Knox County Retired Teachers Association, Knox County Home Extension, Round Table Study Club, the OSF Auxiliary Board, and the Knox 50-Year Club, where she spent 21 years volunteering to write birthday postcards. She was a 4-H leader and volunteered at OSF for 18 years.
She married Earl G. Park Jr. on Oct. 16, 1965, in Moline. He preceded her in death in 2008, after more than 42 years of marriage.
She is survived by her son, Robert (Debbra) Park of East Peoria. She was also preceded in death by her daughter, Shirley Park, in 2021.
Visitation will be 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral and Cremation Services, with a funeral service to follow at 11 a.m.
Read the full obituary: Carolyn S. Park obituary
