URBANA - Carolyn Young O'Rourke, of Urbana, passed away surrounded by family on June 30, 2024, after a brief illness.She was born June 9, 1946, in Cairo, Ill., the daughter of the late Clifford Young and Vada Kessler Turner. Growing up near the Mississippi gave her a deep and sustaining love of rivers and an endless fascination with history. Carolyn graduated from Cairo High School in 1964 and received a bachelor's degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and achieved her master's degree in instructional materials in 1973 from SIUC as well. While raising three children, she cared deeply about early education and youth literacy, served as the PTA president for Urbana School District 116, and earned a certificate of advanced studies in library science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  She worked as an environmental researcher and assessor with the Army Corps of Engineers until her retirement in 2012, and was awarded several honors for outstanding service durin

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