Carol Buffington (Buff), Age 77, passed away peacefully at home with loved ones by her side on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. Carol was born on July 18, 1947 to the late John & Donna (Gulick) Stanfle. Carol graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College & began her teaching career with District 100 in Belvidere, where she taught for 35 years. Her students were her life. Along with teaching she also implemented the Belvidere Youth Bowling Program. Always going the extra mile to support & promote the program, which often included offering transportation for the youth to participate. She truly enjoyed spending her Saturdays instructing & coaching the kids bowling programs, watching them accelerate & grow. Carol was the perfect role model as she, herself was involve in numerous bowling leagues & tournaments, which earned her induction in the Greater Rockford Bowling Hall of Fame. Carol also enjoyed softball as a player & a coach, as well as golfing. Her favorite sport was gambling, "Let's go throw a twenty in." She enjoyed traveling the USA & went on multiple cruises. Her last cruise was to Europe, where she visited her father's native country of Czechoslovakia. Carol was also a pet lover & will dearly miss her Molly & Bella. She was an avid CUBS fan, routinely arranging trips to Wrigley Field. Her favorite past time was watching the Hallmark Channel while indulging in a bagel, tapioca pudding & Deena's special Easter cookies! Carol enjoyed playing cards & games & was a lifetime member of the VFW. Her true passion was spending time with family & friends.

Carol is loved & survived by her son, Brian (Deena) Buffington; sister, Karen (Wayne) Mitchell; grandchildren, Alexandra & Anthony Buffington; multiple cousins; and her longtime partner, Deb Langan. She is further survived by special cousins in Iowa, Illinois, Texas & lifelong friends.

She is preceded in death by her sister, Sheryl; brother, Duane & her parents.

The family would also like to give a special thank you to Jenny, Tonya & her lifelong friends for their loving care & support. A memorial visitation will be Saturday, August 31st from 10 AM to the time of the memorial service at Noon at Anderson Funeral & Cremation Services, 218 W. Hurlbut Avenue, Belvidere. Pastor Ross Miley will officiate. A celebration of life will be held at a future date. To leave a memory & condolence, please visit www.andersonfcs.com.