Carol Smith Obituary

Carol Louise-Edinger Smith passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at the age of 60 with her husband, daughter, and son at her side in their home in Chanhassen, MN.
Carol will always be remembered as a beautiful loving wife, a caring mother, a gracious daughter, devoted sister, and cherished friend. She is survived by her husband Patrick "PJ" Smith, daughter, Shelby, son, Spencer, mother, Peggy Edinger, sister, Suzy (Krag), brother, Jess, Father in-law, Patrick Smith, brothers in-law, Brian (Carol), Mike, Matt (Lana), and beloved nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her father Larry Edinger, Mother in-law Marilyn (Dennehy) Smith, and Grandparents, Robert Howard, Pearl (Emry) Howard, Jess Edinger, and Albina (France) Edinger.
Carol is admired for her strength and courage throughout her nearly 5 years battling cancer. She remained dedicated to her fight and was determined to take on any treatment or procedure which allowed for many great memories to be made.
Carol was born on April 8, 1964, in Ladysmith, Wisconsin to Larry and Peggy Edinger. Her family lived in Kennan, WI until 1976 when they moved to Ogema, WI. Carol attended Prentice High School and was involved in many extracurricular activities and earned several awards. She was a point guard on the Prentice Buccaneer's girls' basketball team that won the state championship in her junior year in 1981.
Carol attended the University of Wisconsin, Stout in Menomonie, WI and graduated in 1986, Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology, concentration in packaging. She interned at 3M and later joined their team full-time in 1988 as an Advanced Package Engineer, and later a Senior/Lead Package Engineer. Throughout her 11 years with 3M, she received several awards including 2 patents for the Scotch Tape "Refillable Tape Dispenser". For the last 20 years of her career, she worked at Boston Scientific as a Senior Manager of Package Engineering for the Cardiovascular R&D division, managing teams in Minnesota and Ireland.
She married her husband of 34 years, PJ, on October 13, 1990, and built a home in Chanhassen with him in 1991. In August 1994 they welcomed their daughter, Shelby, and they completed their family in September 1997 with their son, Spencer. Carol enjoyed raising their children in Chanhassen, she spent many evenings and weekends coaching basketball games, scoring baseball games, and supporting many extracurricular activities. She loved spending time with her family out on Lotus Lake, enjoying rides on their Jet Ski and time visiting with neighbors.
In her free time, Carol loved to read books, go on walks, garden, play games, bike, and cook with her family. She loved to decorate for every holiday and enjoyed entertaining friends and family for gatherings throughout the year. Carol had a passion for travel and visited many states and countries over the years. She grew to love Europe, often visiting Galway, Ireland for work where she spent 11 months on assignment with her husband in 2020. In addition to Europe, she enjoyed winter getaways to warm beaches. She was happy to have experienced her final family trip in May of 2024 with her family where they traveled throughout Switzerland and Northern Italy by train.
Carol lived an extraordinary life and will be missed by so many.
Funeral Service Information:
Friday, November 8th, 2024, at St. Hubert Catholic Church
8201 Main St.
Chanhassen, MN 55317
Visitation from 10:00 -11:00 am
Prayer Service at 11:00 am, luncheon to follow
Flowers can be sent to St. Hubert Catholic Church at 8201 Main St, Chanhassen, MN 55317. Flowers are best to be delivered Thursday, November 7th, 2024, the day prior to the service, between 2:00 - 4:30 pm.
Carol was passionate about supporting the HealthPartners Frauenshuh Cancer Center where she received care for treatments. Donations can be made in her honor at this link: https://www.healthpartners.com/care/specialty-centers/frauenshuh-cancer-center/donate/donate-form/