It is with hearts full of sorrow and immeasurable love that we share the passing of Carolynn Jeanne Bulger, who slipped peacefully from this world on April 1, 2026, in Aliso Viejo, California, at the age of 80, after facing ALS with the same grace, courage, and quiet strength that defined every chapter of her life. To say she will be missed is to fall painfully short of the truth; she was the steady heartbeat of our family, and the silence she leaves behind is profound.

Family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life at 2:00 p.m. (Central Time) on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the Knox Chapel of Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home, 2106 7th Ave, Rock Island, IL. The service will be live-streamed and can be viewed via the following link, https://vimeo.com/1187930462/e01968ce73. Attendees are asked to wear pink in honor of Carolynn. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Knox Chapel. Following the service, a reception will be held for family and friends to gather, share stories, and celebrate Carolynn’s life. Memorial contributions may be made to the Armenian Missionary Association of America, Grace Church in Rock Island, or QC Animal Welfare (where her beloved Baxter found his home with her).

Carolynn was born on November 26, 1945, in Moline, Illinois, the cherished daughter of Melvin Gene Sims and Mary Louise (Galbreath) Sims. She grew up in the Quad Cities and graduated from Rock Island High School, where she became a proud “Rock” for life, a loyalty she wore quite literally in the Rocky pajamas that became her happy uniform on quiet mornings at home. That hometown pride never left her, no matter how far life carried her.

Her adventurous spirit sent her to Mexico alone at 19, even though she had never traveled much beforehand. After her travels, she began junior college and met her future husband pursuing her dreams in Spanish class. Being the cheerleader and supporter, she helped her husband graduate from the University of Iowa and put her dreams aside for him to accomplish his.

On May 26, 1968, Carolynn married the love of her life, Thomas Charles Bulger, beginning a partnership built on devotion, laughter, and shared faith. Not long after, she and Tom left the Quad Cities and made their home in Fresno, California, where they would live for the next forty years, putting down deep roots and becoming devoted members of First Armenian Presbyterian Church of Fresno. Together they made a home filled with warmth and welcome, and together they raised two daughters who were, and always will be, the great joy of Carolynn’s life. Tom preceded her in death, and she carried his memory with her every day until they were reunited.

Professionally, Carolynn devoted her career to education, believing deeply in its power to change young lives. She retired as a school administrator from Fresno Unified School District after years of tireless service and championing students with the same big-hearted commitment she brought to everything she did. She began a tutoring program partnering with her church and students at her school to help the children with their academics.

Her faith was the quiet center of her life. A long-time parishioner at First Armenian Presbyterian Church of Fresno, Carolynn lived out her beliefs through countless small and generous acts. In Fresno, she prioritized her family and also served the Lord by witnessing to incarcerated women and traveling to Mexico for a missionary trip. In 2012, she and Tom moved back to the Quad Cities to be near and care for Carolynn’s mother. During those years in Rock Island, she gave herself fully to her community: volunteering at Trinity Surgical Center, serving as a deacon at Grace Church (formerly Good Shepherd), tutoring children, and lending her warm voice as a reader for the visually impaired through Augustana Public Radio Information Service.

But for all her accomplishments, those who loved Carolynn will remember her best for the smaller, treasured moments. She was the mother who answered the phone day or night, ready to listen, to comfort, or simply to laugh. She was the baker whose frosted sugar cookies were legendary among friends and family, sweet little tokens of her love that arrived at every holiday and milestone. She was the faithful friend whose handwritten cards and letters traveled the miles to remind people, in her own gentle way, that they were known and valued. She loved long conversations that wandered into the evening, and she loved her walks with her devoted companion Baxter, whose loyal little shadow followed her everywhere.

When ALS came into her life last March, Carolynn met it the way she met everything, with courage, faith, and a sense of humor that never left her, even on the hardest days. Through a final year of immense challenges, she remained positive, good-natured, and unfailingly kind, lifting up the very people who came to care for her. She was, and remains, a true inspiration to all who knew her.

Carolynn was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Thomas Charles Bulger; her parents, Melvin Gene and Mary Louise Sims; and her dear sister, Lynda Louise Sims. She leaves behind a family forever shaped by her love: her daughter Bridget Kathleen Bulger Ginty and son-in-law Kevin Christopher Ginty, along with their son, her cherished grandson Finn Thomas Patrick Ginty; her daughter Brittany Jeanne Bulger Becklin and son-in-law Matthew Peter David Becklin, along with their daughter, her cherished granddaughter Jovie Burke Becklin; her beloved sister-in-law Mary Ann (Bulger) Maze and brother-in-law Gary L. Maze; and a wide circle of extended family and friends who counted themselves lucky to call her their own.

Carolynn lived a life of quiet faithfulness, generous love, and unwavering grace. She gave us more than we can name and leaves behind a legacy that will live on in every cookie baked from her recipe, every card written in her memory, every kindness offered in her name, and every story we tell of her. We love you, Mom. Rest gently now.

Online condolences may be left for the family on Carolynn's tribute wall.