Glenview Native Carolyn Koenig Eigel, Longtime Music Teacher and Realtor, Dies at 80

Carolyn Koenig Eigel, a former Glenview music teacher who also worked in her family's real estate business, died peacefully at home on October 25, 2026. She was 80, and her family was with her.

Eigel was born in Chicago on July 31, 1946, to Edward and Norma Koenig, in what is regarded as the first year of the Baby Boomer generation. She spent her early years in Elmwood Park with her parents and older brother, Tom. After the family relocated to Glenview, she became a big sister to Nancy and Jeanne.

She graduated from Glenbrook (North) High School in 1964, where she captained Aquianas, the school's water ballet club. As a teenager she worked as a file clerk at Koenig & Strey Realtors, her family's real estate company. Years later she came back to the firm as a saleswoman and ran its orientation training program.

Like her parents and her brother, Eigel attended the University of Illinois in Champaign. She joined the Chi Omega sorority and earned a bachelor's degree in music education. During her freshman year, a friend arranged a blind date with a Phi Gamma Delta member who would later become her husband of 58 years.

Back in Glenview, Eigel taught music at Grove Elementary School and was active in the PTA. She also took part in the choir and in Chapter 9 at Glenview Community Church. Her interests outside the classroom included competing in water ballet, teaching piano and singing at friends' weddings. She also entertained neighbors at parties and holiday gatherings.

Her love of lake living began as a girl, on vacations in northern Wisconsin. As an adult she spent happy time at the family's homes on Beaver Lake in Wisconsin and Miromar Lakes in Florida. Her family said she was a gracious hostess wherever loved ones gathered, and that many people will remember the meals and the warm welcome she arranged.

Her family described her as a much-loved wife, dear sister, proud and loving mother and grandmother, caring aunt and true friend. According to the family, she never spoke an unkind word about anyone and instead looked for the good in people and nurtured it.

Eigel is survived by her husband, Christopher, and her children: Jeff (Karoline), Ted (Andrea) and Amy Reynolds (Jason). Her grandchildren are Olivia, Annabel, Jameson, Morgan and Spencer Eigel, along with Forrest and Sander Reynolds. She also leaves her brother, Tom Koenig (Laurel), and her sisters, Nancy Davis (Craig) and Jeanne Hanson, as well as cousins and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will take place on Saturday, December 26, 2026, at Glenview Community Church. The family asks that, in place of flowers, donations be made in Eigel's name to the American Cancer Society or the HEAR Scholarship Foundation.