Obituary of Carol Stamas

Carol Stamas, age 80, of Highland Park, IL formerly of Charleston, SC. Beloved sister of Angela (Demo) Kolaras and Diane Mashead. Fond godmother, aunt, cousin and dear friend to many, fell asleep in the Lord on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Visitation Friday, April 15, 2022,10 a.m., preceding the 11 a.m. Funeral at Ascension of Our Lord Greek Orthodox Church, 1207 Riverwoods Rd., Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Interment will take place at Bethany Cemetery in Carol's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Arrangements for the internment are being made by J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Home, 843.723.2524. Ascension invites the faithful to gather for a reception of mercy in remembrance of Carol in their Fellowship Hall immediately following Carol's funeral. The Funeral service will be live streamed on Friday, April 15th beginning at 10:55 a.m. (CST) AT THIS LINK on the website of Ascension of Our Lord Greek Orthodox Church (https://www.ascensiongoc.com/livestream). It can also be viewed on Ascension's Facebook Page; and the church's YouTube channel. It is hard to find a ministry at Ascension's parish that does not have Carol's loving imprint on it. Serving the Lord and her church was at her core. For the past 25 years, the Ascension community was Carol's family, her joy, and her platform for service. Perhaps she is most well-known for her southern charm which she used to encourage fellow parishioners to get involved and to warmly welcome parishioners when they entered Church as she often was one of the first parishioners the faithful would encounter. She was her own "Ascension welcome ministry". Carol served with much humility and an empathetic heart. At her parish, she was a dedicated member of Ascension's Parish Council for 20 years; a founding and active member of Ascension's Philoptochos since its inception; a compassionate member of the parish's small medical staff, a loyal leader of the GOYA youth ministry, and an enthusiastic supporter of every ministry and parish function. Carol's greatest joy at Ascension was her dedication to youth ministries. She treated Ascension’s youth as her own children and loved them deeply, always available to offer her sage advice resulting in lifelong friendships with the youth and youth workers alike. Our young adults will always cherish the abundance of fun and loving memories they shared with "Nurse Carol” and will forever be grateful for the profound impact she made on their Christian journeys. Carol also served on the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago Philoptochos Board as well as the National Board of Philoptochos. Additionally, she is respectfully and lovingly known throughout the Metropolis of Chicago as "Nurse Carol" for the key medical role she played at all three locations of Fanari camp for many years. Carol began her professional life as a RN, serving as an intensive care nurse at Emory University Medical center and later went on to have a long and successful career as a member of Baxter Healthcare Corporation’s elite operating room nurse consulting team. To leave a condolence or for more information visit www.funerals.pro or call 847.537.6600. The Team of Chicago Greek Funerals and Kolssak Funeral Home