Carol Ann Hollenkamp

HOLLENKAMP, Carol Ann, Age 51 of Centerville, Ohio passed away on Sunday, September 6, 2026 at the Cleveland Clinic after a brief but serious illness. Carol is preceded in death by her father Nicholas C. Hollenkamp, her mother Dorothy A. Hollenkamp, and her brother in law Jeff T. Fehrman. She is survived by a large and loving family including her beloved partner Earl David Bush; her siblings: Anne Fehrman (nee Hollenkamp), Nick (Natalie nee Wilson) Hollenkamp, Bill Hollenkamp, and Mary (Rob) Kramer (nee Hollenkamp); her 13 nieces and nephews: Jacob, Sarah, & Hannah Kramer; Nicole (Nick) Ginn (nee Kramer); Nicholas, Eric, & Caroline Hollenkamp; Kate (Corey) Gilroy (nee Hollenkamp), Joseph & Abigail Fehrman; and Karina, Sean, & Tom Hollenkamp; as well as aunts and uncles and cousins who were extremely close to her throughout her life but too numerous to list here.

Carol spent the majority of her career working for the State of North Carolina in the field of water testing and safety. Always a straight A student, she held both her Master of Science in Environmental Studies and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She spent her childhood in Centerville, graduating Centerville High School in 1993. In recent years, she returned to Centerville where she bought a home surrounded by wonderful neighbors and filled with the love and comfort of her partner Dave and her beautiful Maine Coon cat Cleopatra. There she loved working in her yard and pursuing her passions of native plant beds and pollinator flowers.

Carol was a kind and gentle soul who was both a homebody and a world traveler. She had many interests and loved traveling and hiking, most recently in the jungle of Guatemala and in the western US. Locally, she loved spending time at Glen Helen Nature Preserve, Sugarcreek Reserve, and Hocking Hills. Carol was a lifelong butterfly and bird watcher (thrilled to have spotted the rare & legendary Resplendent Quetzal bird in Guatemala) and, as an adult, had also developed a keen interest in moths and lightning bugs. She was also a lifelong tea lover and thoroughly enjoyed sharing that passion with others. With an unquenchable thirst for continued learning and new experiences, Carol also sought out and enjoyed her work and many friends at Dayton’s Second Street Market, the Airforce Museum, and more recently Siebenthaler’s Garden Center.

In the words of her best friends: Carol had the best laugh: “the kind of open and honest laughter that brought people in . . . who wouldn’t want to be part of that joy and love?!” “She lived her life the way she wanted to. It was filled with love and laughter and adventure.”

A Celebration of Life service will be held for Carol on Saturday September 19, 2026 at Routsong Funeral Home in Kettering, Ohio. Friends and family are invited to gather for a time of visitation at 1:00pm, with service beginning at 3:00pm. Those attending should wear colors to honor Carol’s zest for life.

Details will soon be posted along with charitable donation suggestions.