Corene Helen Carollo died peacefully on April 25, 2019 at her home in Hermiston at the age of 95.
She was born on March 18, 1924 in Centerville, Iowa.
She was the ninth of 11 children born to parents who immigrated to America from the small mountain village of Facen, Italy. Corene was proud of her Italian heritage and she enjoyed a simple, rural, but rich and happy childhood in Centerville with all family members helping with gardening, canning and raising small farm animals to help provide food for the large family.
During World War II, Corene, with several of her sisters, worked at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois helping to supply munitions and arms for the war effort. There she met her future husband, Joseph “Joe” Carollo, who was a machinist at the arsenal. Soon after the war, Joe came west to work at the Bremerton Navy Yard and Corene eventually followed, and they were married in Seattle, Wash. on Jan. 26, 1946. In 1947, Joe took a job at Grand Coulee Dam, Wash. where their first three children were born and then, in 1952, moved to McNary, where Joe worked as a machinist at McNary Dam until his retirement. The last two of Corene’s five children were born after the move to Oregon. After her husband’s death in 1989, Corene continued to live in McNary until 1995 when she moved to Hermiston to be closer to her children.
Corene was a housewife most of her adult life. She and Joe both worked hard at being the best parents they could be. She had many talents and hobbies, including gardening, various crafts and crocheting, and she was an accomplished seamstress. Perhaps her greatest skill, though, was cooking.
Upon Joe’s retirement, Corene decided that it was her turn to work outside the home, taking a job for a few years at Lamb Weston trimming potatoes for processing. She really enjoyed the work, the friendships she made and having
money that she earned. She was a lifelong and devoted member of the Catholic Church and participated in many church ministries through the years, including years as a volunteer at the Catholic Church Soup Kitchen and at Hermiston’s Agape House.
Corene’s greatest passion in life was her family, but the most cherished of her family were her 18 wonderful grandchildren and her 35 (and counting) great grandchildren. They were the light of her life and, more than anything else, sustained her and gave her the most unbridled joy, especially in her last years.
Corene is survived by daughters, Kathy Eldrige (Steve) and Gina Wicks (Richard); sons, Tony Carollo (Joyce) and Bob Carollo (Ruth), all of Hermiston, and Jim Carollo (Signe) of Damascus; 18 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; and sisters, Edie Ronzani and Albena Brown, both of Davenport, Iowa.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, four sisters and four brothers.
Services celebrating Corene’s life will be held on Friday, May 3, 2019 at Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church, Hermiston: Recitation of the Rosary at 3 p.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 3:30 p.m.
Burial will follow at the Hermiston Cemetery. Everyone is welcome to join the family at the Parish Hall for dinner after burial.
In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions in Corene’s memory to Catholic Daughters, in care of Burns Mortuary of Hermiston, P.O. Box 289, Hermiston, Ore., 97838.
Please share memories of Corene with her family at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
