Carolyn Meyer
Carolyn F. (McKenna) Meyer, age 78, of Remsen, Iowa (formerly of Anthon, Iowa) passed away on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at the Happy Siesta Health Care Center of Remsen, Iowa.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 30, 2020 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church of Anthon, Iowa. Msgr. Mark Duchaine officiated. Committal Services followed in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery of Oto, Iowa.
Armstrong – Van Houten Funeral Home of Anthon, Iowa, is in charge of the funeral arrangements. Condolences may be sent online to www.armstrongfuneral.com.
Carolyn F. Meyer was born September 9, 1942 to Clement and Eva (Ives) McKenna in Oto, Iowa.
She grew up there with her four brothers and two sisters and attended school at Oto, graduating in 1961 from Anthon-Oto High School.
On April 22, 1961, Carolyn was united in marriage to Francis B. Meyer at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oto. They lived in Oto until 1971 and then moved to the Meyer farm southeast of Anthon where they raised their five children.
After Francis passed away in 2000, Carolyn moved to Anthon where she lived until April 2015. Since then she resided at Happy Siesta in Remsen, Iowa.
Carolyn worked at the Anthon General Store for her best friend, Gayla Wilson. She worked there for 25 years and retired in December 2005 from the Anthon Shell station.
She was a lifelong member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oto where she taught CCD numerous years, was a member of the Altar Society, and Catholic Daughters of America Holy Rosary Court #1602.
Carolyn was very active in the Oto VFW Auxiliary and the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 651 of Oto (which was named after her uncle Henry V. McKenna) and since 2014 she was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 389 of Anthon.
Carolyn also started the group “Mary’s Angels” and first participated in the Relay for Life event on May 17, 1997, which was her sister Mary Ellen’s birthday, and in memory of her. As head captain for 13 years, she led the group to raise money to fight cancer.
Carolyn was known for being a caregiver. With a lot of patience and love, she took wonderful care of her husband, children, and numerous family members over the years. She was always smiling and laughing, and she loved to sing and dance.
Survivors include her sons, Robert Meyer of Sioux City, IA and William Meyer of Anthon, IA; daughters Mary (John) Deichmann of Marcus, IA; Lynn (Thomas H. III) Petersen of Anthon, IA; and Nancy (Jeff) Davis of Bennet, NE; grandchildren Lauren (Alex) Williams of Omaha, NE; Megan (Kyle) Schuck of Cherokee, IA; Michael Deichmann of Denver, CO; Sean Meyer, Cody, Keaton and Caden McCormick of Anthon, IA; Brandon (Raquel) Meyer of Moville, IA; and Kyla and Bo Davis of Bennet, NE; two great-granddaughters, Vera Schuck of Cherokee, IA and Layla Williams of Omaha, NE; a brother, William (Coleen) McKenna of Garretson, SD; a sister, Catherine (Clayton) Ronfeldt of Grinnell, IA; sisters-in-law Evelyn Ketelsen of Correctionville, IA and Mary Ann Brubaker of McCook Lake, SD; and her lifelong best friend, Gayla Wilson of Anthon, IA.
She was preceded in death by her husband Francis Meyer in October 2000; her parents, Clement and Eva McKenna; in-laws, Bernard and Lena Meyer; an infant son, Ronald Eugene Meyer; brothers Cecil (Marlene) McKenna, Kenny (JoAnn) McKenna and Joe McKenna; sisters Mildred Jean McKenna and Mary Ellen (Ernest “Skip” III) Maier; sisters-in-law Bernadine Norris and Joyce (Ludy) DeKok; brothers-in-law Chris Ketelsen, David Brubaker and Raymond Downey; numerous nieces and nephews and extended family members.
A special thank-you to the Happy Siesta Nursing Home Staff in Remsen for taking such good care of Carolyn for the last 5½ years. In lieu of flowers or plants, donations can be made in Carolyn’s name to the DREAM Program at Happy Siesta, P.O. Box 80, Remsen, IA 51050.
