Carol J. McKy

Carol Jean McKy, 94, passed away peacefully at home on March 1, 2026, just 5 days shy of her 95th birthday. Carol was born on March 6, 1931 in Racine, WI, the first born child to Cynthia and Albert Schommer. She spent her early, formative years in Racine where she developed her love for learning, her passion for reading, and most likely her obsession with the color purple! Carol graduated from Racine Horlick High School in 1949, then attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in 1953 with a degree in Occupational Therapy.

While still in college, Carol began her career at the Mendota Mental Health facility as an occupational therapy assistant. Finding her position working with patients extremely fulfilling, Carol would spend over a decade at the facility, leaving in 1967 to focus more time on her growing family and her desire to give back to her community. Carol’s care and compassion for others was reflected in the work she did within the charitable organizations she supported. As a member of ALTRUSA, she was the literacy chairperson and volunteered countless hours at the Dane County Jail teaching inmates how to read. She was the President of the PTA at her children’s elementary school and volunteered within the school by working with children with learning disabilities. She was also instrumental in bringing hospice care and mental health awareness into our community by being a founding member of both Agrace Hospice Care and the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She embraced the marginalized members of our community and she never turned her back on anyone in need.

Carol met the love of her life, Gale McKy, while attending a dance in Milwaukee. The young Army Officer must have made quite the first impression because, at the time of their meeting, Carol was engaged to someone else! Despite this little hiccup, Gale and Carol were married on June 18, 1955, in Racine. Having both graduated from the University of Wisconsin, they shared a passion for Badger sports, holding season tickets for both football and basketball. They loved traveling to watch their favorite teams play, especially if a game happened to be in Las Vegas! They also enjoyed traveling around the country to attend jazz festivals. Gale and Carol would enjoy 45 years of marriage until Gale’s passing in 1999.

Gale and Carol raised their 4 children, Scott, Rick, Bryan, and Cheryl, in the Nakoma neighborhood, in a home that Gale designed and built. By Carol’s own admission she wasn’t the stereotypical 1950’s house wife. She didn’t enjoy cooking or see the need to keep a perfectly tidy home…there were too many other exciting things to do! Carol’s home became the epicenter for the neighborhood children, where everything fun or mischievous took place! To this day her children's friends remember her for her endless patience and generosity…and the fact that she was the first Mom in the neighborhood to get a microwave oven! As her children grew, Carol’s home often became a place of refuge for their friends who needed a safe place to stay. Over time, this generosity would extend to family, friends, and strangers alike. Whether your stay with her was for weeks or years, you would always be treated to stimulating conversations, sage advice, and kindness.

As mentioned earlier, Carol’s love of purple was legendary, if not obsessive! Everything this diminutive woman wore, from the shoes on her feet to (eventually) the color of her hair… was some shade of purple! This obsession didn’t end there. From floor to ceiling, her home was awash in shades of purple…from her cookware to her carpeting, and you always knew you were driving behind Carol when you saw the vanity plates that read “VIOLET”!

Carol left an indelible mark on the lives of those who loved her. We will miss her feisty personality, her fierce independence, her stories, and her unwavering optimism and resiliency in the face of life’s challenges and tragedies. She was an adoring wife, loving mother, and proud grandma. We will miss her dearly. Carol is survived by her sons, Rick (Julie), and Bryan (Sandra); her foster daughter, Peggy (Larry) Goodger; her beloved grandsons, Andy (Tasha) Goodger and their son, Tristan; Josh (Tiffany) Turner and their daughter, Tahlia; Trevor and Ethan McKy; and Clark Pom. She is further survived by her brother, Jim (Sheila) Schommer, many loving nieces, nephews, and dear friends. Carol was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Lois and Janice; her loving husband, Gale, her son, Scott, and daughter, Cheryl.

The family would like to say a special thank you to her care teams from Visiting Angels and Bright Star. Without their loving care and support for the past 5 years we wouldn’t have been able to keep Carol in her home. We would also like to offer our deepest gratitude to Agrace Hospice Care for the compassionate care they provided Carol in her final months. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to honor her final wish: to die with dignity in her own home. Lastly, we would like to thank her wonderful physical therapist, Andrea, who made it possible for her to enjoy her beloved “swimming” every Thursday afternoon for the past 5 years. Thursdays were her favorite day of the week because of you!

A visitation will be held from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm, Thursday, April 9, 2026 at the Cress Center, 6021 University Ave., Madison, WI 53705, followed by a service at 3:00 pm.

For those unable to attend Carol's service in person, please register at the link below to view the service live stream.

https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=b22f5b76-dcd0-4d7f-aae0-f191726ef0a8

To those wishing to honor Carol’s memory, the family asks that you consider making a donation in her name to Agrace Hospice Care, NAMI or PBS.

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

Cress Center

6021 University Ave. Madison

(608) 238-8406