CAROLYN RAGUSETT

On Saturday, December 9, 2023, heaven gained a beautiful angel. Carolyn A. Ragusett, age 73, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, and encircled with Love. She was born on December 8, 1950, in Detroit, MI, and she was the daughter of the late Michael and Dorothy (Warn) Leahy.

Growing up, Carolyn's interests spanned from the arts to sports - specifically, baseball and ballet. Though a Detroit native, Carolyn moved to Wisconsin in 1991 and avidly cheered on the Milwaukee Brewers for many years. As a young girl, Carolyn was a ballet dancer. This love for ballet was shared with her daughter Janel, who followed in her mother's footsteps and took up the pointe shoes. Attending the ballet at the PAC was a favorite mother-daughter date.

In conjunction with sports and dance, Carolyn had a love for animals that was shared by both her children, Michael and Janel. Her first kitty was Snowball and later she adopted Shadow (“Michael's cat”), who acted more like a dog than a cat.  

Carolyn was the best office professional you could ask for. She was employed for over 25 years with Schenck SC as an office manager until her retirement in 2019. Post-retirement, she continued her work as an administrative assistant for Utility Financial Solutions, where she worked alongside her brother-in-law and her niece.    

Though Carolyn was very skilled in an office setting, her work in, love for, and contributions to the Arts are truly representative of Carolyn's heart. She loved attending the Attic Theatre, Fox Valley Symphony, and the Appleton PAC (where she was a season ticket holder). In 2017, Carolyn's volunteer efforts were acknowledged through the Hanns Kretzschmar Award for Excellence in the Arts for her assistance with Attic Theater. The article with a video interview is available here for anyone who would like to watch.

Expanding upon her volunteer efforts, Carolyn was an active member of the Fond du Lac Christian Science Church and a valued reader and participant for her sister's church, the Christian Science Society in Saugatuck, MI. In her life, she served many Christian Science branch churches in various capacities through membership, board positions, and as a reader.

It is evident that the foundational element of Carolyn's life was Love. She was generous, selfless, and strived to do good in whatever capacity she could. “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy). May we all remember this truth when we think of our beautiful Carolyn.

Survivors include her daughter, Janel Albrecht (Mike Broehm); four grandchildren: Arianna Hilber, Colton Parsons, Chance Parsons, Tyler Albrecht; her sister, Cindy (Mark) Beauchamp; and her niece, Jillian (Kevin) Jurczyk. Carolyn was welcomed into heaven by her son, Michael Parsons. The family would like to thank ThedaCare Hospice at Home, especially Fabiola and Jeanne.

A memorial service will be held at Neenah's Westgor Funeral Home at 1:00pm on Tuesday, December 19, 2023. The visitation will be held from 12:00pm until the hour of service. A celebration of life will follow the memorial. In lieu of flowers a memorial is being established.