Age 81, passed away after a brief illness at Bronson Hospital in the early morning on October 18, 2023, with family by her side. She was born in Kalamazoo, MI, on September 9, 1942, the daughter of the late Walter and Beatrice (Gibson) Rininger. Carole remained a lifelong resident of the Kalamazoo area where she raised her children Beatrice (Terry DeWeese) Shannon, Donald Shannon, Mark Shannon, Boyd Shannon, Ruth (Richard Underly) Shannon. Carole was predeceased by her oldest child Walter Shannon.

She is survived by her siblings, Jerry (Linda) Rininger, David Rininger; her grandchildren, Caroleynn (Tom) Zmyslo, Alex DeWeese Sr (Izamar Zuniga), Brittney Woodhams (Matt Biasella), Bannon Underly, great-grandchildren; Tazlyn, Kinzy, and Zayden Zmyslo; Alex Jr, Isabel, and Anthony DeWeese and a special close friend and ‘Big Sister,’ Lyla Alleshouse, and several nieces and nephews.

Carole was kind, loving, gentle and sassy. She was very much a social butterfly. She loved spending time with people. She rarely went anywhere where she did not make a new friend. She had a terrific sense of humor and always kept people on their toes guessing what was going to come next. She was strong-willed, had great determination and was a hard worker. When not working she enjoyed spending time with her children and her grandchildren, which affectionately became known as her ‘babies.’ She enjoyed taking trips to the casino and always laughed at the nickname ‘half-head’ which she received because of a unique haircut. Carole’s smile, laughter and love will be missed by all who knew her.

She was also preceded in passing by a sister, Dixie Gonzalez, and her partner of over 20 years Robert Girard.