Carole Grant-Fogarty died on June 27, 2021. She was 87 years old at the time of her death. Following her wishes, she was cremated. Her ashes will be buried alongside of her parents, Russell and Therese Marshall at Assumption Cemetery in Winfield, Illinois. She also wished for some of her ashes to be placed in the Mississippi River, saying they would travel to, and join with the sea. A private service will be held in her honor at a date to be determined.
Carole was born in 1934 and named Margaret Carole Marshall. She lived 21 years as Carole M. Roller and in her remaining years, changed her name to Carole Grant-Fogarty, taking her two grandmother’s maiden names, representing her Scottish and Irish heritage. She grew up in Lake Forest, IL and continued to live near Lake Michigan, participating in the Great Lakes Consortium to protect these lakes, as well as many other environmental causes.
Carole had four children Thomas (Ellen), Steven, Katherine and Christine and eight grandchildren, Christopher, Daniel, Rebecca, Jack, Samuel, Mikaela, Hannah and Julia. She called these a great contribution to the world — 12 wonderful and caring people. She was a gentle, loving mother and grandmother. She enjoyed discussing current affairs, but mostly loved to listen and would do so with a complete attention that is rare to find and is so appreciated.
Carole had a lovely singing voice and loved folk music, performing when her children were young. She was an avid card player and played bridge for years and loved to play board games with grandchildren. She enjoyed participating in her book club and Drury Lane theatre group. She also loved to travel; exploring Ireland, Italy, England, and France with children and grandchildren.
Carole was an ardent and active feminist, especially concerned over sexual abuse/assault issues, and devoted 26 years of her life to work on those issues. She was a second wave feminist of the 60’s and 70’s, active from the beginning of the Women’s Movement. She worked tirelessly with fellow members of the YWCA to create services which we now take for granted. When she saw a need, she felt personally called to address it.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Carole was instrumental in establishing DuPage Women Against Rape (DWAR) under the auspices of the West Suburban YWCA. While with DWAR she developed and delivered the region’s first crisis intervention training to prepare advocates to help victims of rape, sexual assault and child sexual assault in hospital emergency rooms, in court proceedings and on a rape crisis hotline, as well as individual and group counseling services. She joined with others to lobby the state government to update sexual assault statutes, which were antiquated and did not address current needs. These trainings and crisis intervention services continue today through YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. This work was deeply meaningful to her and she maintained several life-long friendships with the women at the YWCA who formed DWAR. She often said that her time with the Y represented some of the best years of her life and she earned a “Heart of Gold” award from the Rothschild Foundation for her work with DWAR over those decades.
In 1980 she received a Master’s of Social Work degree (MSW) and worked for 20 years as a school social worker with Cooperative Association for Special Education (CASE) in Glen Ellyn, IL. She worked with elementary school children, with whom she had a special rapport. She had a very successful and rewarding career and volunteered thousands of hours, as she completed raising her own children.
Carole was also a proud FDR Democrat and worked for equality, justice, and civil rights. She carried a copy of the Constitution with her at all times. She volunteered regularly at polling locations and participated in voter registration drives. She continued to protest and speak out against injustices for her entire life; she was determined to leave behind a kinder and more just world for future generations. She was fearless and could not be intimidated. She was an advocate for people who were disadvantaged and marginalized; she was a voice for those who could not speak for themselves. She was a warrior the likes of which we do not see every day and she will be deeply missed and loved always.
If you wish to contact the family, any memory of yours about Carole would be greatly appreciated and placed in a scrap book about her life. Please contact Tom Roller at troller1958@gmail.com.
Also, if you wish to send a donation in her memory, the two that were most important to her are:
Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault – (ICASA)- https://icasa.org/
The Southern Poverty Law Center- https://www.splcenter.org/
