Carolyn Elizabeth Knowlton Winters died October 2, 2026 after enjoying a huge 98th birthday party the day before. She was born at home on October 1, 1928 in Roanoke, Indiana to Bertha Lawrence Knowlton and Otis Knowlton. She was the youngest of five children, Mary Renz, Helen Coulter, Jeanne Eldridge and Lawrence Knowlton, all of whom predeceased her.
She graduated from Lafayette Central High School near Fort Wayne in 1946, and Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in 1948. She married Robert Lee Winters (deceased 2006) in 1951 and had five children: Roberta (Ted) Johnson, Kathryn (Bill) Winters Frimpter, Roger (Kim) Winters, Evelyn (Donnie) Lamb and Elizabeth (Jeff) Winters Waite. She divorced in 1975.
She has 11 grandchildren. She is also predeceased by her grandson, Nick Winters in 2010. She has 11 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren. She was beloved by dozens of nieces and nephews, many of whom called her Aunt LaLa because she sang all the time.
Besides her children, Carolyn loved two things dearly-her nursing career and gardening. She worked for 20 years in Obstetrics and 20 years in Geriatrics, catching people coming and going. She loved to garden, having come from a long line of peasant stock. Her father was a farmer and her mother was a master of bread baking and canning. She taught the gardening piece to all five of her children.
She lived at Maple Knoll Retirement Community the last 21 years of her life. She was treasured by all.
There will be a memorial service for Carolyn at 3:00 pm, on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at Grandstaff-Hentgen Bender Chapel, 207 W. Main Street, North Manchester, Indiana. Burial will take place in the Roann Community Cemetery, Roann, Indiana. Visitation for family and friends will be 2-3 pm at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, plant a garden.
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