Lillian Kay Carl
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Lillian Kay Carl, mother and friend to many, died Wednesday after a long battle with lung and heart disease and cancer. She was 80 years old.
Ms. Carl was born on Nov. 15, 1943, in Duluth, Kansas, the second child of Iverna and Ben Teske. She graduated from high school in 1961. It was her dream to be a flight attendant, so she went to Kansas City, Mo., to attend the Weaver Airline Personnel School.
After receiving a job offer from Frontier Airlines, she moved to Denver, where she eventually got a job as a flight attendant with Continental Airlines. One of her favorite flights was working on the plane carrying the Denver Broncos to football games.
In 1967, she married Robert Carl in Duluth. The young couple lived in Wichita, St. Louis and Des Moines, Iowa, before moving to Lawrence, Kansas, where they ran the Kwik Shop convenience store on 23rd street for many years.
Ms. Carl gave birth to two daughters, Traci in 1972 and Tonya in 1977. She and Mr. Carl divorced in 1984.
She worked many jobs over the years, including helping students with housing at the University of Kansas and serving as a telephone operator for the deaf with AT&T in Lawrence. She was active at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lawrence, Kansas, and loved playing cards with her family and friends.
Ms. Carl was always very grateful to all her doctors who helped her mend a heart scarred by rheumatic fever as a child; beat back lung cancer, at least temporarily; and live with COPD. Their efforts allowed her to meet her five grandchildren and see two graduate from high school.
It was her last wish to help future doctors continue to extend the lives of others, so she decided five years ago to donate her body after death to the University of Kansas Medical Center.
She is survived by her siblings, Carole Schwarz, Gary Teske, Harlan Teske and Sherry Rengstorf; her daughters and their husbands, Tonya and Eric Mater, and Traci Carl and Jorge Melchor; her grandchildren, Lucinda, Sydney and Matilda Mater; and Elly and Kyra Melchor. She was preceded in death by her mother, father, and a stillborn son, Mark Carl.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lawrence. Burial will be at the cemetery in Duluth at a future date still to be determined.
Memorial contributions may be made in Lillian’s name to the American Lung Association and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.
Dear Tonya and family,
Sending our love to you. May memories sustain you and bring you comfort.
Extra love and hugs your way for God’s comfort and HIS PEACE! Kay and I were friends way back in the late 50’s when we were in High School youth group for the Kansa District! I left for nurse’s training and Kay took over my job in the district offices! We kept in touch when we were both in Lawrence …..loved reviewing those past years with her and laughing at events!
She was a strong, faith-filled friend that taught me a lot about dealing with hardships and difficulties….an awesome example of faith and perseverance ! Will miss her and am so thankful to have had her in my life!!!
Kay was a dear friend in our Zoom church prayer group for the 4 years since Covid cut back on face to face meetings. I met Kay many years ago at Good Shepherd and was delighted when we’re we met again at Trinity Lutheran when her brother was our pastor. All of us at Trinity cared about her and I personally admired her perseverance through her health struggles and especially her strong faith and knowledge that God was with her no matter what happened. I will miss her in our prayer group.
Condolences to one of Trinity’s families.