Colleen Cole Buffington, age 59, of Antioch, Illinois, passed away peacefully on March 13, 2026. Colleen was a devoted member of Our Lady of the Lakes, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, and SPRED (Special Religious Education Development), where her faith was an important part of her life. One of her greatest joys in life was attending “college” which was Matthias Academy. Matthias is a nonprofit community of adults living their best lives together in southeastern Wisconsin. Matthias serves adults with disabilities, specialized medical needs, behavioral challenges, and mild to profound autism. She also was an active participant in Northern Lights Special Olympics bowling. Colleen’s healthcare was managed by the Adult Down Syndrome Center, which serves the health and needs of thousands of adults living with Down syndrome across Illinois and conducts innovative global research on Down syndrome.

Colleen was born in Peru, Indiana, on July 10, 1966 to her loving parents William Henry Buffington and Kate Cole Buffington. She lived the past twenty-five years with her sister Bo and her husband Saul Thompson along with their children Molly and William.

She is survived by nine of her siblings: Kate (David) Buffington-Mitchell of Pensacola, FL, J.O. (Toni) Buffington of Peru, IN, Joe (Jeryl) Buffington of Peru, IN, Janie (David) Curtis of Pensacola, FL, Maureen Buffington Johnson of Littleton, CO, Pete (Kim) Buffington of Peru, IN, Bo (Saul) Thompson of Antioch, IL, Erin Boyle of Pensacola, FL, and Shawn Mary Jones of Peru, IN She was preceded in death by four of her brothers: Bill Buffington, Mike Buffington (Jaci), Pat Buffington, and John Buffington (Beth)

Colleen brought joy and love to everyone she knew and met. She was a gift to so many. She will be cherished forever.

Visitation will be held at Strang Funeral Home in Antioch, IL, 1055 Main St. (rte. 83) Antioch, IL 60002 on Friday March 20 from 4-8 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday March 21 at 10 AM at Our Lady of the Lakes, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, in Antioch, IL. Following mass, there will be a “tailgate” lunch in the Church basement (the lower level of the church is handicap accessible).

Graveside services will be held at 3:00 P.M. on March 28, 2026 at St. Charles Catholic Cemetery, Peru, IN with Monsignor Robert Sell officiating.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Colleen’s name to: Adult Down Syndrome Center https://secure.aahgiving.org/site/Donation2?df_id=4923&mfc_pref=T&4923.donation=form1, Matthias Academy https://matthiascommunity.org/donate/?show-form=true, or Shining Abilities https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/fundraising/make-a-difference-with-shining-abilities.