Carey Gardiner Mack

Carey was born on March 21, 1974, in Watertown, Wisconsin, to Thomas Frederick Mack and Mary Josephine Ellen Gardiner Mack. Carey’s earthly journey ended October 15, 2021, after a brief illness.  She is survived by members of her immediate family, including her mother, Josie Mack, her brother, John Mack, her maternal grandmother, Emmy Gyaki, and numerous aunts, cousins, nephews, and her niece. Carey also leaves behind many friends and chosen family members. Throughout her lifetime she forged deep and lasting friendships across the rich, diverse humanity she sought, accepted and embraced.

 

A graduate of Watertown High School, Carey was a proud Gosling and participated in the band and theater programs. After graduating from Valparaiso University, she obtained a Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Chicago, and was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Carey dedicated her life to helping others. In recent years she found great joy working with youth programs, and in expressing her talents as a creative visual artist.  

 

Carey shared her family’s passion for rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals, all things NPR, and fighting for equality. She believed in the fundamental goodness of people, and she believed in love. She brightened every room and every life she entered. Carey loved music, great satire, books, the Simpsons, and SNL (especially Chris Farley). Her sense of humor was infectious, as was her laugh, and her enormous, persistent will toward a life of compassion.  

 

There will be two memorial services for Carey: One in Ann Arbor, Michigan, followed by another in Watertown, Wisconsin.  In lieu of flowers, we hope that you can honor Carey’s life invested in creating a more just and equitable world.  Please consider making a donation to organizations Carey supported, like the Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Michigan or FedUp Ministries, or to a social justice organization, in her memory.