Renee Lisa Carson, age 59, of O'Fallon, born December 13, 1962 in Belleville, Ill. to Rolland Shull and Betty L., nee Schmidt, Shull, died Sunday, January 2, 2022 at Memorial Hospital in Belleville, Ill. with her children by her side.

Renee grew up in O'Fallon, Ill. with her fraternal twin sister, Rhonda, her older brother Brent and her younger sister Roxann. In addition, she grew up alongside her childhood and lifelong best friend, Sheila. Renee and Sheila were a part of the O'Fallon Township High School Pom Pom Squad their sophomore, junior and senior years. During the summer time, Renee worked as a lifeguard at the O'Fallon Community Pool. Renee attended several high school reunions after her graduation from O'Fallon Township High School in 1981, the last reunion she attended being her 40 ^th high school reunion two months ago. Her classmates described her as sweet, kind, funny and vibrant.

After high school, Renee pursued a certificate in medical billing and coding, where she would later be recognized for her expertise in the subject matter. Over the course of her career, she worked for Fox Medical Equipment, Cardiology Consultants and Associated Physicians Group in their medical billing and coding departments. In due course, she would plant her roots at Associated Physicians Group in O'Fallon, Ill. in 2003, dedicating almost two decades of unwavering service to a company that she would grow to regard as family. In 2018, she ventured to Marina, California for eight months, taking on the role of billing manager at Monterey Spine and Joint where she helped to restructure a struggling billing department into a path of success. She would later return home exclaiming "no matter where you go or what you do, there is truly no place like home with your family and friends".

A bit later in life, Renee developed a fiery passion for cooking and traveling. She learned many of her cooking skills from watching the Food Network on TV, gathering the recipe off Google then picking up the ingredients at Schnucks in O'Fallon. She enjoyed listening to her favorite music as she cooked and often posted her finished products on her Facebook and Instagram pages for her friends and family to comment on. Though she eventually developed a taste for a plethora of what some would consider non-traditional food, one could still find her cooking bacon and eggs every Saturday morning, or putting a roast in the crockpot for Sunday dinner. She preferred savory over sweet and loved a batch of buttery popcorn before turning on a movie and relaxing in front of her fireplace at night, with her beloved dogs, Shyloh and Hendrix, by her side. In her traveling pursuits, she never knew a stranger. One could find her dining solo in Dallas, Tex. at a prized steakhouse just for the experience, or rejoicing with her family and friends in beautiful Cancun, Mexico. At age 16, she drove her parent's RV across the country to California on a family trip. She's visited Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Arizona and Tennessee to name a few others. She delighted in different cultures, trying different foods and taking in the experience of different people, places and atmospheres. Renee was a beaming light of curiosity wherever she went, always seeking out and embracing the endless and enchanting encounters life had to offer her. Before everything, Renee fiercely loved her children, supporting and loving them through every milestone of their lives. She was a magnificent pillar of strength and love, to which her children are forever thankful.

Renee was proceeded in death by her parents, Rolland Shull and Betty L., nee Schmidt, Shull.

Surviving are her three children, Kayla Carson, Hunter Carson, Alexa Thomas and her son-in-law, James Thomas; her grandchildren Cheyenne Carson and Rio Thomas; her brother Brent Shull and his wife Nina Shull, her sister Rhonda Wagner, Rhonda's husband, Dave Wagner, and her sister Roxann Shull; her nieces Tarrah Wagner and Amanda Fix, her nephew Dustin Wagner and his wife, Kaci Wagner, and her nephew Bobby Shull.

A tribute to Renee's life would be to always pay it forward. Stay kind, curious, open-minded, grateful, hard-working, positive, inspired, resilient, brave and to ALWAYS follow your heart in the pursuit of your own personal happiness; to do so despite others' judgements or concerns, and most importantly, to do so in honor of the special and deserving person that you are. To never give up hope and to keep the fire inside you burning bright, always and forever, in spite of what life may deal you. To know it's possible to overcome hardship, in any form. To know it's always attainable, no matter what, to live a healthy, happy and meaningful life. Above all, to know that the most precious thing we can do in her memory is to find our purpose and to live our lives to the fullest each and every day.

The family will receive friends for Renee's celebration of life from 12:00 – 3:00 pm, Saturday, January 8, 2022 at Wolfersberger Funeral Home, 102 W. Washington Street, O'Fallon.