Carina M. Ellickson

Carina Mae Ellickson, 32, of Chicago, Ill., formerly of Clear Lake, died Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Chicago.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. 4th St., Clear Lake.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Carina was born April 24, 1987, the daughter of James Jr. and Vernyce (Benson) Ellickson, in Des Moines. She grew up in Clear Lake, where in 2005, she graduated from Clear Lake High School. After high school she attended and graduated with honors from Wartburg College in 2009, with a BA in Public Relations/Image Management.

After college, she moved to Omaha, Neb. where she worked at Centris Federal Credit Union from 2010 to 2017. During this time, she was briefly married to Dennis Coonfield, of Omaha. In 2017, she moved to Chicago, where she pursued her dream of writing comedy and performing at Second City, in Chicago. During this time she worked various jobs and shortly before her passing, she found a job she loved as a health aide worker.

During Carina’s life, she spent her time drawing, writing comedy, performing comedy periodically, and time with beloved cats and dogs. She lived her life with incredible wit, intelligence, and a huge heart that embraced all who knew her.

Carina is survived by her father, James (Doris McGinnis) Ellickson, of Clear Lake; half-sister, Terry (John) Loske, of Lexington, SC; half-brother, Paul Simonson, of North Dakota; a niece, Shannon Loske; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her mother and grandparents.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.