Carolee R Harrison

Carolee Rose Harrison

September 2, 1947 – October 7, 2025

Carolee Rose Harrison, 78, of Mt. Morris, Illinois, passed away peacefully on October 7, 2025, at Dixon Rehabilitation & Health Care Center.

Born in Endicott, New York, to Charles and Leona Stinard, Carolee grew up in Owego, New York, and graduated from Mercy High School in University City, Missouri. She earned her Beautician’s License from the Triple Cities School of Beauty Culture in Binghamton, New York. In 1969, she married Harold Harrison, and together for 56 years they made their home in Mt. Morris, where Carolee cherished the warmth of small-town life and the lasting friendships she built with neighbors and friends.

Carolee worked at Pinecrest Nursing Home and later in home health care, where her kindness and endearing sense of humor brightened the lives of many. She made friends easily, loved spending time with her daughters and grandchildren, and cherished memories of summers “on the farm” with her siblings. A gifted storyteller and writer, Carolee found joy in words, nature, and the simple beauty of everyday life.

She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Adrian and Arlan Stinard. She is survived by her husband, Harold; daughters, Natasha (Mark) Pearson and Rachel (Brian) Bare; grandchildren, Jonah and Daphne Bare; and sister, Charlene Stinard.

“May my heart always be open to little birds who are the secrets of living” —E. E. Cummings