Carol Anne (Wagner) DeMarco

In Loving Memory of Carol Anne DeMarco Carol Anne DeMarco (née Wagner), of Raleigh, NC, passed away peacefully on July 20, 2026. Born in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Andrew and Agnes Wagner (née Wahl), Carol attended St. Adalbert’s School before earning her B.S. in education with a minor in English from the University of Wisconsin–Madison—where she also met her future husband, Tony. At a time when pursuing higher education was uncommon in her community, Carol broke barriers as the very first member of her family, men and women alike, to attend college. After marrying, Carol taught English in the greater Chicago area, forming lifelong friendships before settling in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, to start a family. In 1976, Carol and Tony embraced lake life and moved to Brown’s Lake in Burlington, Wisconsin, a place that defined much of her life. Carol was a vibrant pillar of her community, deeply involved with the PTA, the Chamber of Commerce, Chocolate City, USA, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church, all while substitute teaching and traveling. In the 1980s, inspired by her sister Chris—who ran a similar business in Florida—Carol started At Your Service in Burlington as a hobby. What began simply, offering temporary staffing, cleaning, and secretarial help, steadily grew into a successful conference planning and management company. A lifelong lover of stories and history, Carol captured her heritage and community in her writing. She authored a lighthearted family history, Growing Up Polish in South Milwaukee, and later documented the history of Brown’s Lake in Lake of the Shining Arrow. In the 1990s, Carol was diagnosed with breast cancer—a challenge she faced with her usual determination, willing it into submission for more than 25 years. Throughout her life, she and Tony traveled extensively around the globe, making friends everywhere they went. Following Tony’s passing in 2018, Carol traded Wisconsin winters for the warmth of Raleigh, North Carolina, where she cherished time with family and continued her love of learning at North Carolina State University. Carol is survived by her two sons and their families: Andrew DeMarco (Eagle River, WI) and his children, Jack and Gabby. Nick DeMarco and his partner Sarah (Raleigh, NC), and their children, Mary, Nathan, Liliane, and Jacob. She was preceded in death by her husband, Tony DeMarco, her parents, Andrew and Agnes Wagner, and her sisters, Claire Ugowski and Christine Long. Service & Memorial Details Memorial Service: Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Location: Mercantile Hall, Burlington, WI In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Carol's honor to NPR (National Public Radio) at npr.org/donations/support.