Dr. Carolyn McCall

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Dr. Carolyn Josephine McCall, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on June 28, 2026. Carolyn was born on July 4, 1939, in Alliance, Nebraska, to William (“Bill”) and Emily Hein. She grew up in Alliance, where she enjoyed riding her horse through the beautiful Nebraska Sandhills. She graduated from Alliance High School, where she was a member of the National Honor Society, a cheerleader, a member of Job’s Daughters, and a Girls State delegate.

She attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. There she met her husband Jerry McCall, whom she married in February 1959. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from UNL in 1969, then completed a Master of Education degree in 1974, followed by a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in 1979.

Following their marriage, Carolyn and Jerry moved to the Marine Corps base at Twentynine Palms, California, where they lived for three years and welcomed the first of three daughters: Debbie and Janet. Once they returned to Lincoln in 1962, their third daughter, Betsy was born and Carolyn began her teaching career as an elementary teacher school for Lincoln Public Schools.

While Carolyn was pursuing her graduate degrees she owned and operated The Spinning Wheel, a knitting and needlepoint shop in Lincoln. Once completing her graduate degrees, she went on to teach at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and at Northwest Missouri State University from 1986 until her retirement in 2011. Her favorite course was Children’s Literature, and she delighted in making sure each of her grandchildren had a well-stocked library of treasured books. Throughout her academic career, she presented at several national and international conferences.

Carolyn was deeply involved in her community. She was a member of the Junior League, a member of Tuesday Review, a deacon at Westminster Presbyterian Church, a docent at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo and a devoted member of P.E.O. for 68 years, serving as chapter president.

A lifelong Husker fan, Carolyn’s passion for Nebraska athletics was unmatched. She and her family held Nebraska football season tickets that had been in the family since 1929. While teaching at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri, she regularly drove back to Lincoln to attend every home football game. She later became an enthusiastic supporter of Husker women’s volleyball and softball. Fittingly, her cell phone ringtone was the Cornhusker Fight Song.

Carolyn was an avid reader, accomplished knitter, talented quilter, devoted teacher, and loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Her kindness, intellect, generosity, and enthusiasm for learning enriched the lives of all who knew her.

She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Jerry McCall; her daughters, Debbie Bacon (Roger Bacon), Janet Jahn (Art Jahn), and Betsy DeGrandi (Tom DeGrandi); and her grandchildren, Taylor, Weston, Carly (Jack O’Dell), and Samantha.

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 28, at 9:30 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2110 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, Nebraska, with a reception immediately following the service.

Memorials may be directed to the Capital Humane Society, Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach, or P.E.O. Chapter IY.

Link to Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh0s_z2jgkVzHETwungAAfaEa-vENwoCR

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Services

July28

Memorial Service

9:30 am CT

Westminster Church

2110 Sheridan Boulevard, Lincoln, NE

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July 25, 2026

I first met Carolyn at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville Mo in the 1980s, where she taught a course in Children’s Literature and I was the librarian at Horace Mann, the University’s laboratory school. During the time that the College of Education and the elementary school library were undergoing renovation and the faculty dispersed across campus, she and I shared an office and became fast friends. Her enthusiasm for college teaching and her encouragement ultimately led me to pursue a Ph.D. at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. After I joined the faculty of Emporia State University in 1995, Carolyn and I traveled to Baltimore one year where we presented together at a national meeting of the American Association for School Librarians. Although a thoroughgoing professional, always, Carolyn was also a great deal of fun to be with! A devoted teacher to her students over the years, Carolyn was also a proud parent, and through our correspondence, which continued from 1988 through 2025, she always brought me up to date on the lives and accomplishments of her daughters Janet, Debbie, and Betsy — and her grandchildren. During all these years, I have considered her both a great colleague and close friend and I send my sincerest condolences to Jerry and to her family for their loss.

– Nancy Pickering Thomas, Ph.D. Professor Emerita, Emporia State University July 24, 2026 Estes Park, Colorado

July 6, 2026

I was teaching at Northwest when Carolyn joined me and our colleagues in the Dept. of C & I. She was enthusiastic about teaching and was well liked by her students. We loved Carolyn and respected her professional commitment. She and I presented together at a national conference on the subject of children’s literature. Good times! Good memories! I just learned of her passing, so too late to attend her service. I have offered a prayer for her life and her legacy! She spoke so lovingly of her family! Hugs and blessings!