Carolyn Stern, 97, of Webster Groves, MO, died peacefully in her home at Laclede Groves on September 24, 2026.

Carolyn was born in Spencer, Wisconsin, in January 1929, the youngest child of Julia and Guy  Ingham. She attended elementary and high school in Spencer, then studied home economics at Stout Institute (now the University of Wisconsin at Menomonie) before transferring to Lawrence College (now Lawrence University), where she majored in music and psychology.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Sciences in 1951, she met John Alexander Stern while working at the University of Illinois, Champaign, and they were married in 1952. They moved to the St. Louis area shortly after they married, and spent their life together in Webster Groves, Frontenac, and Shrewsbury.

Carolyn was active in church, school, and community affairs while raising three children. She is a former member of the Webster Groves Presbyterian Church and the Des Peres Presbyterian Church.

Carolyn served on regional committees for the Girl Scouts of America and as a scout leader, and was a member, officer, and board member of The Wednesday Club of St. Louis. With her husband, she was active in Citizens for Fair Housing and Missourians Against Handgun Violence. They also served as foster parents for many years, caring for newborn infants until they were placed in foster homes.

Carolyn’s hobbies included reading and needlework, an activity she transformed into an occupation when she opened a needlework shop, Counterpoint, Ltd. Over the years, she taught knitting and needlepoint, and joined and served on the boards of several local and national needlework organizations.

Her favorite activity in her later years was traveling with her husband as he attended professional conferences throughout the U.S. and abroad, while her special joy was spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Before dementia slowed her down, she was an active resident and volunteer at the Evertrue Laclede Groves retirement community, where she enjoyed regular shuffleboard and bingo games and other activities. She also initiated the “Wing Watcher” program there, a resident-led system that monitored the daily well-being of single residents.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband John as well as three siblings, and is survived by her children, Julie Stern (Randy Lockwood) of Leesburg, Virginia; Nancy Mozier (John Mozier) of University City, Missouri; and John Stern of Nashville, Tennessee; five grandchildren, Trinity McDaniels;  Christopher, Benjamin, and Jennifer Mozier, and Susan Plunkett; and seven great-grandchildren, Lily McDaniels, Milo and Oscar Mozier, Caleb and Carson Mozier, and Claire and Jack Plunkett.

A private celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations to Washington University or Lawrence University would be greatly appreciated.