Caryn Ruth Labernik Wickland, age 76, a lifelong Minnesotan, passed away August 15, 2025. Preceded in death by her loving father, Fred Labernik, and brother, Tom Labernik. 

Caryn loved her cats. A cat was part of her household throughout her life, starting when she was one year old. Her current cat, Eli, was her bab,y and she told stories about his antics to anyone who would listen.

Caryn was a Minnesotan through and through. She loved the lakes and no matter where she lived, she wanted to be able to see a lake. She was born in Minneapolis, grew up near Lake Minnetonka, and as an adult, she lived in Excelsior and finally Mound. As a child, she would often be seen swimming in a lake. Her family has a cabin on Woman Lake that she enjoyed throughout her life. In addition to keeping in shape, she was an aerobics instructor, and as she got older, she went to yoga 4 times a week. 

Throughout her life, Caryn was an avid reader and a lifelong learner. She graduated from Minnetonka Senior High School, received an Associate, and became a medical technition. She went back to college to earn a Bachelor's Degree in elementary education from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum from St. Scholastic in Duluth. During retirement, she joined a book club and had a particular focus on politics.

Her passion was teaching, and even as a child, she set up a pretend classroom to teach the neighbor kids. For over 30 year,s she taught 4th-grade at St. Bart's in Wayzata, impacting hundreds of students. When she was out and about, former students would often stop her and thank her for the impact she made on them, influencing at least one to become a teacher. They were her kids, and she cared about each and every one of them. 

She had an amazing ability to organize, which was evident in her teaching multiple subjects in a single day, maintaining a highly organized home, and managing the paperwork for her aging parents and the Woman Lake Cabin LLC.  She had a passion for interior design, making her house a home, and enjoyed hosting parties for family and friends. During the summer when she was not working on education materials, Tony would come home from work and to find she had painted the walls. She was invaluable in the design of the Woman Lake Cabin when we needed to rebuild.

Survived by husband of 33 years, Tony, mother Joanne Labernik, sister Rebecca (Becky) Labernik Keller, sister in laws Gina Labernik and Patti Wickland, nieces and nephews Sarah Jarvis, Andy Keller, Cody Labernik, and Kyle Labernik, great nieces and nephews, Cailee Labernik Anderson, Ceiran Jarvis, Sofia Jarvis, Ivy Labernik, and Lucy Labernik. 

Services will be held on Saturday, September 6th, at 3 pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Avenue, Minneapolis.