Carolyn Louise Boerner, age 90, of Oaknoll Retirement Residence in Iowa City, passed away on Monday, October 20, 2025, in Short-Stay Care at Oaknoll.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, with a reception following the service. A private burial will take place at Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City. Memorial donations may be made in Carolyn's memory to First Christian Church of Coralville and to the P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund.
Carolyn was born on September 15, 1935, in Iowa City, the daughter of Frederick W. and Sarah Mahree (Warriner) Boerner. She grew up in Iowa City and graduated from Iowa City High School in 1953. In 1959, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from The University of Iowa, completed her internship in East Moline, Illinois, and received her license as a Registered Pharmacist in 1960.
Over the next five decades, Carolyn practiced both hospital and community pharmacy in Moline, Cedar Rapids, Marshalltown, and Iowa City. During her career, she also served as a relief pharmacist at the family's House of Boerner business on Melrose Avenue in University Heights.
A lifelong lover of classical music, Carolyn played the cello in both the Iowa City High School and University of Iowa orchestras. She also enjoyed knitting, sewing, cooking, and canning. Gardening was one of Carolyn's great passions, which she shared with her sister Anna. Their beautifully landscaped home on Lexington Avenue was featured in Project GREEN's 2011 Garden Tour. After moving to Oaknoll Retirement Residence, Carolyn continued to tend one of the community gardens, always including red and white begonias -- her tribute to City High's Little Hawks.
Carolyn was a member of First Christian Church of Coralville and of professional pharmacy organizations. A proud and active member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood for 69 years, she cherished her Chapter OY sisters and contributed to state and national projects and conventions. Carolyn truly lived the values and principles of P.E.O.
An advocate for equity, employee rights, and historic preservation, Carolyn also championed education and student success. She chaired the International Peace Scholarship Committee for the Iowa State Chapter of P.E.O. and took pride in mentoring her fourth-generation cousin through The University of Iowa's pharmacy program.
Carolyn is survived by her sister, Anna M. Boerner of Iowa City, and by many multi-generation cousins in Iowa and California. She was preceded in death by her father in 1981, her mother in 2004, and her brother, Arthur W. Boerner, in 1998.
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the exceptional and compassionate staff of Oaknoll Retirement Residence, Iowa City Hospice, and First Christian Church of Coralville for their care of Carolyn's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.