Carolyn Virginia Tee

Carolyn Virginia Tee, 39, Waynesville, MO Versatile artist, businesswoman, homeschool mom Carolyn Virginia Tee passed unexpectedly into the presence of the Lord Jesus, apparently due to complications following childbirth, on Sunday, January 18, 2026, in Waynesville, Missouri. Carolyn, known in childhood as Carrie Steere, was born on May 15, 1986, to Tom and Susan Steere of Hornell, NY. Always bold and strong-willed, she became the first pupil in the Steere Family School. She attended Sunday School, AWANA Club and Word of Life at local churches and studied ballet and piano. She attended high school at Alfred-Almond Central School, graduating in 2004. There and at Alfred University she enjoyed serving as stage manager for theater productions and competing on the swim team. Her senior art show in 2008 featured steel-plate etchings of scenes from her childhood accompanied by blown and cast glass and bronze objects, a series of cast glass eggs with life-like bronze bird feet portraying herself and her five younger brothers, silk-screened t-shirts depicting the eggs, and a glass table setting with a sushi design, along with large trays of homemade sushi. From age seven on, she spent many happy weeks at Camp Iroquoina, a Christian camp in Hallstead, PA, as camper, counselor, and staff member. A family trip to the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria for Dad’s work when she was six instilled in her a love of travel. She completed training with The Airline Academy, and although she never worked in the airline industry, it served her well in other ways. Following graduation from Alfred University, she spent 2 months in Burundi helping at the Rainbow Center for abandoned babies and displaced teen girls, then served for a year as an au pair near Cologne, Germany. Upon her return from Europe, she moved to Maryland and found a job at the Marriott Hotel in Aberdeen, where she eventually met her husband, Edward Lewis Tee, originally from Welch, West Virginia. They were married in a small private ceremony May 5, 2015 at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri, with a larger wedding celebration April 8, 2016 in Fayetteville, NC. As the Army moved Edward to various posts, Carolyn worked in several retail positions, including with Verizon Wireless, and finally became Territory Manager for Heartland Payroll Solutions. In New York, she was active in the Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce. She was assisted by nannies who cared for her children, most notably Adriana Gaitan Seville. She recently “retired” to fulfill her life-long dream of being a full-time homeschooling mom to children Ethan, Gemma, and Edward, and to better support Edward’s teenage daughters, Graciella at home in Waynesville and Genesis of Kenova, WV. She enjoyed doing artwork with her children and taking them places, raising chickens, gardening, making friends and preparing meals with recipes from around the world, and researching healthy living, educational concerns, and current events. She will be sorely missed by her husband and children, as well as by her parents, brothers and their families: Dan & Carissa Steere of Youngsville, NC, Artemas & Mollie Steere of Fulton, NY, John & Dallas Steere of Morrisville, PA, James & Madilyn Steere of Jamesville, NY, and David & Emily Steere of Hornell, NY, along with seven nieces and nephews. Public visitation will be Friday, January 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Westside Baptist Church in Waynesville, followed by a Celebration of Life at 12 noon. Funeral arrangements are with Memorial Chapels and Crematory in Waynesville, MO. To share your memories of Carolyn, please visit: memorialchapelsandcrematory.com A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Carolyn’s family as they navigate these devastating times. If you wish to help financially, go to GoFundMe.com and search for “Honoring Carolyn’s Beautiful Life and Legacy” by Madilyn Steere or go directly to https://gofund.me/c9b796f40

Carolyn Virginia Tee

May 15, 1986 - January 18, 2026