Highland Park Obituary: Carl Leonard LaMarr, Ed.D

The following obituary is courtesy of Kelley and Spalding Funeral Home and Crematory.

Carl Leonard LaMarr, Ed.D. of Highland Park, IL passed away quietly in his sleep on Thursday the 10th of December and is now at peace in Heaven. Dr. LaMarr was the tenth child born to Jesse and Lela in Cordele, Georgia on September 20, 1935. His siblings, Mamie, Bertha, Nancy, Ethel, Jones King, Jesse, Brodis, Catherine, and Mildred predeceased Carl.
Music played a very important part of Carl’s life. His trumpet took him to Chicago to study at the Vandercook College of Music. During his service in the United States Army, Carl LaMarr played his horn in the US Army band and at military funerals. Carl taught music in Chicago and it was there that he met and married his beloved wife, Sonya Frances Saxton. In 1966, he moved his family to Alaska to teach native students at a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school in Wrangell. Later moving to Anchorage, Carl taught music in the Anchorage School District while he continued his education, earning a masters’ degree from the University of Alaska and a doctorate in education and administration from the University of Southern California. Rising through the ranks of school administration the Anchorage School District, Carl became Deputy Superintendent, ultimately serving as Superintendent. After retirement, Carl and Sonya explored all corners of the United States in their motor home for two years, occasionally bringing their granddaughters along for the journey. They took their love of traveling overseas to visit more than twenty-five countries. Carl and Sonya settled in the southern suburbs of Chicago and then moved to Highland Park where they’ve spent the past 10 years.
Carl is survived by his wife of 59 years, Sonya; his daughters, Carla and Catherine; son-in-law, Herbert; granddaughters, Gabrielle and Genéviève; sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, and many friends. The visitation and funeral will be held on Friday, December 18th at Immaculate Conception, located at 770 Deerfield Road in Highland Park. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. and the Funeral Mass will be at 11a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that you honor Carl’s love of music and education with contributions to:
The Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology in New Haven, CT www.conncat.org, The Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, IL http://www.vandercook.edu/, the Music education programs for the Anchorage School District in Anchorage, AK http://www.asdk12.org/, or the music program of Immaculate Conception Parish in Highland Park, IL http://www.icparish.org/. For more funeral info or directions please call Kelley & Spalding Funeral Home at (847) 831-4260

To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Dr. Carl L. LaMarr please visit our Tribute Store.