Carol Arnone's Obituary
Carol Lee Arnone (nee Fickenworth), previously Carol Lee Randle, passed away quietly on Feb 8, 2023 surrounded by her family.
Born August 19, 1938, Carol was preceded in death by her parents, Doris (Armstrong) and William Fickenworth, her loving sister, Gail, and husbands, George Randle and Mike Arnone. Carol was an amazing woman who embodied the love of Christ through forgiveness, compassion, and grace. She will be dearly missed by her four children, 12 grandchildren, 10 1/2 great grandchildren, 1 great great grandchild, and countless nieces and nephews.
Shortly after graduation from Calumet High School, she married George Edwin Randle and moved to Hometown, Illinois where they raised their four children; Ron, Don, Diane and Patti. Carol was heavily engaged in community leadership where she was president of the PTA, and the founding member of Hometown’s first pre-school, Kiddy Kapers, which helped guide hundreds of Hometown toddlers to a successful beginning in kindergarten.
As a devout Christian, Carol was leader of the Christian Women’s Fellowship, and board member of Hometown Christian Church for over 40 years. Carol’s passion for cooking and fellowship led her to publish the church’s first cookbook and she started the annual Down Home Country Fair. Her unwavering faith and love of Jesus Christ was absolute and helped carry her through numerous struggles in life - without ever losing her smile or grace.
Carol’s career path led her from an entry level banking position to leadership roles in large corporations including; Janet Diedrich and Associates, The Leo Foundation, and Blake-Lamb Funeral Homes where her faith, combined with her loving and gentle heart, allowed her to minister to hundreds of families in their most difficult times.
While working at Blake-Lamb, Carol discovered two new loves: one was flower arranging, and the second was her future husband, Mike Arnone. Carol and Mike were virtually inseparable from the moment they first met and were married in April 2003. They created a new life together in a cozy cottage on 5 acres of land in rural Wisconsin. It was her dream home adorned with flower arrangements and gardens everywhere you looked. While in Wisconsin, Carol pursued a retirement career as a florist and eventually returned to school earning her degree as Master Gardner.
In addition to being a Master Gardner, Carol was a Master Grandmother, Master Reader, and Master Baker. Her specialty being beef stew with dumplings and her signature oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert. Carol even brought tins loaded with oatmeal cookies whenever she visited her family, often guiding them through the metal detector at airline security. Her passion for reading and baking has been passed on to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
God broke the mold when Carol was born. She found beauty everywhere she looked, she had a boundless supply of love, her vocabulary was unmatched, and she never uttered an unkind word to anyone. If you were lucky enough to have known her you were truly privileged because you met one of God’s favorites.
Details regarding Carol’s celebration of life service to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations to Gracious Living Adult Day and Health Care Center in Huntersville would be kindly appreciated.
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