CAROLEE QUIGLEY YOUNKIN VINSON, 73,

of Oneida, Ill. and Green Valley, passed away on May 12, 2009, at OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, Ill.

She was born Feb. 2, 1936, in Great Bend, Kan. to Donald and Ellen Quigley Younkin. She grew up on a farm in rural Sanford, Kan., graduated from Larned High School in 1954, and attended Kansas State University and the University of Illinois. On Aug. 21, 1955, she married Dr. Ralph Albert Vinson Jr.

Carolee is survived by her husband; her three children (and six grandchildren): Susan Vinson (granddaughter Marissa) of Galesburg, William (Leslie Armstrong) Vinson (granddaughter Shannon of El Toro, Calif., grandson Lucas, and step-granddaughter Sydne Armstrong) of Fullerton, Calif., and Richard (Gretchen Shilling) Vinson (grandsons Andrew and Jeremy) of Novato, Calif.; sisters Mrs. Janice (Junior) Schneck of Larned, Kan. and Mrs. Donna (Dale) Atkeson of Haysville, Kan; and four nieces and three nephews as well as their numerous progeny.

Following Ralph’s graduation from the University of Illinois Veterinary School in 1957, Carolee and her husband moved to Victoria, Ill., before relocating to Oneida in 1959. In 1998, they purchased a winter residence in Green Valley.

In addition to being a loving, dedicated homemaker and managing her husband’s veterinary office, Carolee was very active in numerous civic clubs and organizations including PEO, Knox Co. Republican Women (President in 1972), Soangetaha Country Club and Desert Hills Golf Club in Green Valley.

She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Galesburg and the Valley Presbyterian Church of Green Valley. Carolee was an avid bridge player and golfer who competed often in the Women’s State Amateur and Galesburg All City and scored two holes-in-one over her lifetime. She also obtained a single engine airplane pilot’s license in 1978, and assisted her husband in flying their family plane throughout the country accompanying him on business trips.

A funeral service was held May 18 at the First Presbyterian Church of Galesburg with the Reverend David Parker officiating. Interment was in the Oneida Cemetery. Memorials may be made to The OSF St. Mary Foundation or to The Galesburg High School Varsity Girls Golf Team.