Carlene P. (Soderberg) Corey passed away peacefully at her home November 12, 2013 after a brief illness. Her husband of 62 years, Garnet F. Corey passed away in 2009. She is survived by her loving children Roderick L. and his wife Roberta of Lanesboro and Chrystal L. Paul of Grafton. She has four siblings, brothers Wesley, Lloyd and Russell Soderberg and her sister Grace Keniston along with 7 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Her son Gary J. Corey passed before her.
     Mrs. Corey was born May 28, 1923 in New Sweden, ME, daughter of the late Grace (Anderson) and John A. Soderberg. Carlene was the matriarch of the Soderberg and Corey family, hosting family reunions, Christmas and July 4th gatherings. She was proud of her Swedish heritage and she practiced and promoted Swedish traditions. Carlene was a member of the First Baptist Church of Grafton and a student of the Bible which she read every day. Carlene was a creatively talented person. She used her creativity to express her love for family and friends and her church. For over 30 years she made floral arrangements for the church for Sunday services and the church at Christmas was always beautiful with her wreaths of fresh greens that she fashioned. She was a member of the Worcester Art Museum, Tower Hill Botanical Gardens, a lifetime member of the Grafton Garden Club, she enjoyed gardening and beyond her vegetables she focused on growing flowers for drying which she used to make dried arrangements for the church fair each year. Carlene’s floral work earned her many awards at Worcester Gardening shows. She owned and operated Carlene Hairstylist in Grafton for many years. She befriended many of her clients with her kind and caring nature. Carlene and her husband Garnet enjoyed traveling in their RV. They made yearly trips to Florida, traveled extensively throughout the Northeast and participated in a “wagon train” through Mexico, the Baja Peninsula and California.
     You may honor Carlene with floral arrangements or through a donation to the Baptist Church of Grafton – Floral Fund 1 South St. Grafton MA 01519.
Family and friends are invited to a calling hour for Carlene Saturday November 16th from 9:30-10:30am at The Baptist Church of Grafton 1 South St. Grafton MA 01519 followed by a funeral service at the church at 10:30am. She will then be laid to rest at Worcester County Memorial Park in Paxton.