Caroline Meister, 32, a courageous seeker, found her path at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in Northern California. She was excited about adventures ahead: hiking mountain trails, a road trip to visit family and friends, and a master’s degree program in drama therapy and family and marriage counseling.
Caroline died on March 18, when she took a familiar trail and fell from a cliff. She was found by rappelers at the base of a waterfall on March 22. Her recovery came as a critical window was about to close — rains forecast for the next two days would have ended the massive search.
A 2010 graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School, she thrived in challenging classes and expressed herself through art, theater, and improv. She graduated from Oberlin College in 2014, where she collected many friends and leaned into social justice causes. After graduation, she worked at the YWCA of Loraine County, leading Girls Circles for impoverished teens.
She arrived in California for a meditation program in February 2020, and stayed when COVID-19 shut down travel. This decision changed her life in many positive ways. Her parents, John and Jean Meister, overflow with love and pride.
She is remembered as a leader who reached out with love, compassion, and keen problem-solving skills. Gifted at comic skits, bread baking, and gardening, she also crafted expressive cards, usually with dried leaves attached. She loved big ideas and small tasks. She saw the world with awe. No one laughed like Caroline.
In addition to her parents, she is survived by her siblings, Elizabeth and Will, and many loving aunts and uncles, cousins and friends.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 22, at St. Giles Catholic Church, 1045 Columbian Ave., Oak Park. The family requests tax-deductible donations to Tassajara Zen Center, 39171 Tassajara Road, Carmel Valley, CA, 93924; and Thrive Counseling Center, 120 S. Marion St., Oak Park, 60302.
