Obituary of Carol Jegen Belke

Carol Loretta (Jegen) Belke, 91, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, passed away suddenly on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022 of natural causes. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she relocated to Syracuse, New York, in the early 1950s with her beloved husband of 62 years. Since that time, Carol had resided in Michigan.

Besides being an excellent homemaker and cook, Carol was an accomplished pianist/vocalist and loved to entertain her family with her beautiful voice, which she inherited from her mother. Carol was an avid reader who especially loved a good mystery novel. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and very proud of her family. Carol loved to travel and tell stories of her many adventures. The daughter of a florist, she never lost her love of gardening and especially flowers, which she would always have on display.

Carol enjoyed board and card games her entire life. She was a very competitive Scrabble player and enjoyed a fierce game of 500 Rummy with family on vacations and other occasions. We suspected she had the “Scrabble Dictionary” memorized! She was a devoted Jeopardy fan, and her excellent memory allowed her to excel at this pastime.

She was preceded in death by her husband Robert E. Belke Sr. in 2015, and her sisters Julianna (Sr. Carol Frances Jegen BVM) and Marilyn (Sr. Mary Evelyn Jegen SNDdeN), and her brother, Richard Jegen. Carol is survived by her daughter, Marion; five sons, Robert E. (Rosemary), Jr., Thomas J. (Lorrie), Stephen W., James C. (Patricia), Kenneth P. (Elizabeth); 11 Grandchildren; eight Great Grandchildren; her sister, Evelyn (Sr. Evelyn Jegen rc); and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the wonderful staff at American House in West Bloomfield at which Carol happily resided for the last 6 years.

A memorial service will be held in North Syracuse, New York at a later date