Carole Lynn

Greene

Carole Lynn Greene (née Wilson), 79, of Akron, Ohio, passed away on September 25, 2026.

Carole was born on October 23, 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri. She devoted much of her life to caring for others, both through her career as a registered nurse and, even more importantly to her, as a mother and grandmother.

Carole graduated from St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1967, beginning a nursing career that would span nearly five decades before her retirement in 2015. Nursing was more than Carole’s profession—it was part of who she was. She was a compassionate school nurse and later served as a charge nurse at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Youngstown, where she became a trusted mentor to countless nurses. Carole had a particular gift for taking newer nurses under her wing, showing them the ropes, building their confidence, and making sure they knew they had someone in their corner. Caring for people came naturally to her.

That same generous spirit extended far beyond her work. Carole was the mom who chaperoned high school band trips and the mom who welcomed her daughters’ friends into her life and treated every one of them as though they were family. Her home, her heart, and her generosity always seemed to have room for one more.

Carole was kind and extraordinarily generous, but she was also witty, fiercely independent, incredibly funny and, every now and then, just a little spicy. She loved deeply and gave freely, always putting the people she loved ahead of herself.

Above everything else, Carole loved her family. Her daughters and grandchildren were the center of her world, and there was very little she wouldn’t do for them. Her generosity knew no bounds when it came to the people she loved, and being their mother and grandmother brought her immeasurable pride and joy.

Carole was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dennis Clifford Greene, who passed away on August 20, 2002; her parents, Lloyd and LaVerne Wilson; and her brother, Jim Wilson.

She leaves behind her daughters, Becky Whitney and Caryn Vander Laan; five beloved grandchildren, Brady Whitney, Connor Whitney, Macsen Whitney, Stella Vander Laan and Tate Vander Laan; and her nephews, Andy Wilson and Matt Wilson.

Carole spent her life caring for people—her patients, her fellow nurses, her daughters, her daughters’ friends and, eventually, her grandchildren. Fittingly, her lifetime of caring for others did not end with her passing. As an organ donor, Carole was able to give the gift of life and healing to others—one final act of generosity from a woman whose life was defined by caring for the people around her.

She leaves behind a family who knew without question how deeply they were loved, along with countless people whose lives were made better because Carole Greene was part of them.

Her family will remember her generosity, her independence, her quick wit, her humor, her devotion and, yes, that little bit of spice that made Carole unmistakably Carole.

She was deeply loved, and she will be deeply missed.

Carole's family will receive friends on Wednesday, September 30 from 10-11AM at Hummel Funeral Home, 2800 West Market Street Fairlawn, OH.  A funeral service will follow at 11AM.  A PRIVATE burial will take place at Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Boardman, OH.