Carol Ann Wylie

It is with heavy hearts and warm memories that we announce the passing of Carol Ann Wylie, age 77, on Thursday, November 21, 2024. She passed away from a prolonged illness at Medilodge in Sutton’s Bay, MI. Carol was a small-town girl whose aptitude for business and a heart for service took her all over the world. Carol was a daughter, sister, mother, wife, grandmother, friend, business owner, and Rotarian whose life embodied Rotary’s motto of “service above self”.

Carol was born to Milton and Ardis Wylie on January 4, 1947. She was raised on their dairy farm with her brothers Dick and Dan in Kent City, Michigan, and held the title of Kent County Dairy Princess at age 16. Her love of travel was ignited in high school during her time as an exchange student in Finland. She married Ed Elkins after high school and together they welcomed their daughter, Renee Carol, in 1966.

Carol’s life included many moves around the US and Toronto, Canada. She came back to Kent City in 1978 and purchased Kent Business Machines in Grand Rapids along with her second husband, James Campbell. Her knack for sales and service helped grow their successful typewriter business. She graduated from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI with a master’s degree in business administration in 1984. Carol was very active in the community and served on the Kent City School Board.

She later moved to Seal Beach, CA, where her vision for the future allowed her to purchase a failing typewriter sales office and turn it into a thriving personal computer and network company, which she managed with her third husband, Luc Serriere. She was very active in her local Rotary branch and became the first female club president and district governor. She also served for a time as the chairperson of the Rose Bowl Parade committee and was a training leader and club president representative to several US and international conferences. Her involvement in Rotary gave her the opportunity to participate in numerous humanitarian trips all over the globe and assist in several polio eradication missions. In her retirement years, Carol enjoyed working in the local t-shirt shop on Main St. in Seal Beach and her daily walks on the pier in the California sunshine. Her daughter, son-in-law, and four grandchildren enjoyed many trips visiting grandma in her quaint, CA beach town. In her later years, Carol returned to Michigan to reside in the Traverse City area near her family.

Carol was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Roxanne Kay Elkins; grandson, Reece Isenhart; parents, Milton and Ardis Wylie; and sister-in-law, Sherry Wylie. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Renée and Jim Isenhart; grandchildren, Danielle (Wesley) Jarmusch, Jared Isenhart, Darica (Major) Bevis; great grandchildren, Caleb, Gabrielle, Calvin, Benjamin, Oliver, and Juliet; brothers Richard (Nona) Wylie and Daniel Wylie; several nieces and nephews, and lifelong special friend, Joy (Charles) Rowland.

The family would like to thank Hospice of Michigan for their compassionate care for Carol in the time preceding her death. Those wishing to offer expressions of sympathy are encouraged to make a memorial contribution in Carol’s name to the Traverse City Rotary Club.

There will be a celebration of life gathering for Carol in January in the Kent City area. The family will share more details as they become available. Please share your thoughts and more.