M. Carolyn Cole

Mary Carolyn Cole, age 83 years of Niles, Michigan; mother, grandmother, sister, educator, musician, and pet lover died peacefully at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, with her daughter at her side, at home in Niles, following a years-long battle against psoriatic arthritis. Her family is grateful for the kind and compassionate care of the hospice staff.

She was born on April 19, 1942 in Kingman, Indiana to William D. and Mary A. (Whitaker) Cole, and was graduated from Kingman High School. She continued her education at Indiana State University, and came to Niles in 1974, beginning her career as a Paraeducator, assisting teachers at South Bend’s Washington High School. She became an active member of the Washington High community, attending all of the basketball games of both the boys’ and girls’ teams, and was a staff advisor to the SADD Chapter at Washington High, leading students to raise awareness against destructive decisions.

In Niles, Carolyn worked with area property owners to manage rental properties. She was a former member of the First Assembly of God (now Michiana Christian Embassy), and was on the founding crew of the Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service – SMCAS. She was a talented musician, playing the clarinet and other instruments at church and with other area bands and orchestras.

At home on South Fifth Street, she enjoyed flower gardening, sewing and needlework, and reading a wide variety of interests, including detective mysteries. She was a fan of all the sports at the University of Notre Dame, but especially the ice hockey team. She always enjoyed pets, including her cat, “Sugar”, and loved her “grand-dogs”, Spencer and Profit.

She was first married to George Mason, and later, on April 24, 1981 in Niles she married Gregory S. Cole, who died altogether too young, on January 7, 1985 of a congenital heart issue. Carolyn was also preceded in death by a sister, Nancy Ratcliff, Ph.D., and recently by a brother, James Ratcliff.

Surviving family includes her daughters, Michele (& Paul) Lemon of Buchanan, Michigan, Anne Mason of Florida, and Holly Joy Cole (& Eddie Noe) of Louisville, Kentucky; grandchildren Kristina, Kacie, and Kamille Lemon, and Stephen and Kathryn Dowling; and Carolyn’s sisters, Phyllis (& Steven) Canfield of Crawfordsville, Indiana, and Loretta (& Dan) Milligan of North Carolina; and many nieces and nephews.

The family of Carolyn Cole will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles. Contributions in memory of Carolyn may be made to Pet Refuge, 4626 South Burnett Drive, South Bend, Indiana, 46614, https://www.petrefuge.com/; or to the Heartland Small Animal Rescue, Inc., 4540 Grape Road, Mishawaka, Indiana, 46545, https://www.heartlandsmallanimalrescue.org/; or to Network for Hope, 10301 Linn Station Road, Louisville, Kentucky, 40223, https://www.networkforhope.org/ to honor the life-giving heart transplant received by Holly. Memories and condolences may be left at:

www.halbritterwickens.com.

Carolyn overcame health challenges to live a wonderful, long life, beyond the eighty years – by strength – promised in the scriptures; and she used those years well, caring for students and tenants, enjoying music in worship and performance, and cheering-on her favorite teams; all activities involving other people. She also enjoyed the quiet contemplation of gardening, needlework, and reading, but even then, the cat kept her company; and she loved visiting her grand-dogs . . . and Eddie . . . and Holly.