Carole Joyce Murphy (Amundsen)

Carole Joyce Murphy (Amundsen) lived a life defined by independence, ambition, adventure, and an enduring love for family. Born on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1942, in Chicago to Adolph and Frances Amundsen, Carole grew up playing the piano and participating in Girl Scouts. After graduating from Siena Catholic High School in 1960, she worked as a typist, briefly lived in New York City, and later returned to Chicago and worked as a consultant at Northwestern University.

Carole overcame significant childhood health challenges, including a traumatic brain injury and severe epilepsy. By the late 1970s, successful medical management allowed her to thrive. Drawing from her journey, she became a dedicated public advocate for the Medic Alert Foundation, helping secure medical ID as an Illinois state employee benefit and earning the foundation's 1983 Outstanding Volunteer Service Award.

A natural trailblazer, Carole built a distinguished career in the insurance industry. Starting with Metropolitan Life in 1980, she later joined Prudential Insurance as a small business analyst and life underwriter, ranking second among women underwriters with large amounts in sales credits. She subsequently returned to MetLife as a Branch Manager in Aurora. Her leadership extended into civic life; she was appointed by State Senator Friedland to the Illinois Conference on Small Business and served on leadership committees for the Crystal Lake and State Chambers of Commerce.

Carole’s love of travel led to a life-changing cruise to the Holy Land in 1968, where she met Michael Brendan Murphy. They married in Dublin in 1969, and shared 43 wonderful years together, raising two children, Angela and Martin, before Michael’s passing in 2012. Carole also cherished genealogy, discovering Italian cousins in Illinois and making two memorable trips to Åse, Norway, to meet her newly discovered Amundsen cousins and connect with her family’s heritage.

In January 2019, Carole found love again and married Theodore (Ted) Clemens. Together, they embraced a shared passion for travel, exploring the Mediterranean, Europe, Asia, and the Americas while splitting their time between Illinois and Virginia. Though diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2025, Carole’s final years remained centered on her greatest joy: her family.

Carole passed away on October 26, 2026, just shy of her 84th birthday. She is survived by her husband, Ted; her children, Angela Dereix (John) and Marty Murphy (Trisha); her grandsons, Ryan and Erik Dereix; her sister, Sandy Cashman (Amundsen); and three nephews, John, Joseph, & James Cashman.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, November 27, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Martha Church (All Saints Parish), 8523 Georgiana Avenue, Morton Grove, Illinois, followed by interment at All Saints Catholic Cemetery, 700 North River Road, Des Plaines, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Heartland Hospice (via the Gentiva Foundation), All Saints Catholic Parish, or the Parkinson's Foundation.