Carol Staiger Ellinghausen

Carol Staiger Ellinghausen passed away June 16 at Northwestern McHenry Hospital at the age of 87 from complications due to Alzheimers. She was born in Chicago on January 4, 1937 to Louis and Helen Staiger who had emigrated to the U.S. from Germany in the 1920s. Carol graduated near the top of her class at Taft High School in 1955. She went on to receive a BA degree in elementary education from Valparaiso University and began her career teaching second grade at Parkview School in Morton Grove. 

Carol married Ed Ellinghausen in 1960 and they were married for nearly 64 years. She stopped teaching to be a full-time mom when children came along. The family moved to Crystal Lake in 1965 where she worked as the office manager at Ed’s business and volunteered at numerous institutions, including Lutheran General Hospital, Woodstock Memorial Hospital, South Elementary School Learning Center, the First Congregational Church’s Church Mouse Shop, and the Environmental Defenders. She also tutored Laotian immigrant children and served as treasurer of the Boone Creek Watershed Alliance. 

Carol enjoyed biking, skiing, tennis, camping, cooking, and gardening. She enjoyed living in the woods of Bull Valley in a house she and Ed designed and built in 1987. Carol spent many happy summer days with Ed sailing on the lakes of the Midwest and enjoyed living on a sailboat in Palmetto, Florida during the winters. 

Carol is survived by her husband Ed, children Janice Elise Ellinghausen (Don Solarz), Tom Ellinghausen (Katherine), grandchildren Graham Ellinghausen and Dylan Ellinghausen, sister Evelyn Schietzelt, as well as many nieces and nephews. 

Celebration of life services will be scheduled by the family in the weeks to come.