Carol A. Batyske 1947-2026

Born March 19, 1947, in Youngstown, Carol was a longtime resident of the area until moving to Columbus in 2019.

She was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and often reminisced about her days working at Ohio Edison and McKelvey’s department store downtown. In the 1980s, she and her husband, Richard, lived in Canfield and owned Canfield Floors, a flooring installation company. After the family moved to Poland, Carol worked at another family business, Wittenauer’s Pharmacy and Gift Shoppe.

Above all, she was a tireless caretaker for Richard and the original “pet mom” — doting on her animals long before the term became a trend.

Carol loved music, dancing, gardening and cooking for others. She was famous for her kiffles, pizzelles, kolachi, bolbalki, kapusta, fasufka, borscht and Youngstown-style rigatoni and meatballs.

Regardless of the weather, Carol would relax on her front porch every morning and every evening, pets at her feet, simply watching the birds, squirrels and deer. She was also a “night owl” and could often be found gardening in the dark!

After moving to Columbus, Carol was known in her community for turning any visit into a dance party. Even while Carol’s memory was fading, she continued to delight others with her compassion and wit. She had a quirky sense of humor that persevered until the very end.

Carol is survived by her loving children: son, Mick (Carolyn) Batyske of Brooklyn, New York; and daughter, Brenda (Steve Moenter) Batyske of Columbus. She is also survived by her stepdaughters, Terri (Bob) Morton of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Judy (Ken) Schenker of Canfield; stepbrothers, Douglas (Terry) Wittenauer of Poland and Kenneth (Russell Leciejewski) Wittenauer of Charlotte, North Carolina; as well as six grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Carol was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Batyske; her sister, Michele Petro; her mother, Ann Seman Wittenauer; her father, Michael Petro; and her stepfather, Norman Wittenauer.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Contributions may be made to The Dementia Society of America, www.dementiasociety.org; or CHA Animal Shelter, chaanimalshelter.org.

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