October 25, 1954 – February 10, 2026
Carolyn Marie Krause, 71, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center.
Funeral service will be held 10:30 AM, Monday February 16, 2026, at Sheckler Colonial Chapel, 114 N Hawkeye Ave, Nora Springs, Iowa with Pastor Dan Gerrietts from Trinity Lutheran Church of Mason City officiating. Burial will be held in Park Cemetery, Nora Springs, Iowa. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.
Carolyn was born on October 25, 1954, the oldest of James and Beverly (Keeney) Krause’s seven children. Born with a resilient spirit, Carolyn overcame significant challenges from the very beginning. Following an emergency tracheotomy as an infant, physicians predicted she would face many difficulties. However, Carolyn defied expectations, maintaining a lifelong love of learning. She found school challenging but persevered, with Psychology becoming her favorite subject. During her school years, she was an active member of the Portland Living Lassies 4-H club and participated in the school band. She took great pride in her healthy choices, often sharing that she was proud to have never taken up smoking or drinking.
Carolyn found immense joy in the rhythms of daily life. She was an avid and thorough reader, known for reading the Nora Springs Advertiser, Globe Gazette, Des Moines Register and the Sunday Globe from front to back, ensuring she never missed a detail. Her dedication to her routine was so strong that she famously declined a lifelong dream trip to Buenos Aires with her sister Linda, deciding she simply had too many household chores to complete and newspapers to read.
She cherished her time on the farm, where she loved taking walks and enjoying fresh vegetables straight from the garden. She also had a special fascination with trains, often pausing to announce with delight, “I hear a train. The train is coming.”
Carolyn also loved attending bingo every week, looking forward to the fellowship, friendly competition, and the simple excitement of winning ‘treasures”.
A devoted family member, Carolyn was always the last to finish a meal, savoring the time at the table. Her cousin Karla fondly remembers childhood summers where Carolyn served as her fierce protector, always staying by her side when siblings tried to scare her.
Carolyn loved spending holidays with her sister Linda, niece Danya, husband Shane, and their four girls, Bristol, Finley, Nova, and Kamden. She also held a special fondness for their pets, “Ruger” the cat and “Rig” the Great Dane, even if she had to be careful not to be knocked over by Rig’s excitement.
Carolyn was a proud employee at the Garner Work Center and Opportunity Village. In recent years, she resided at Duncan Heights Care Facility and later achieved the milestone of moving into a home in Forest City, Iowa, with continued support from the Duncan Heights staff. Carolyn’s family is deeply grateful for the love, guidance, and support the staff provided throughout the years.
She will be remembered for her pure heart, her kindness, and the quiet strength she carried throughout her life.
Those left to remember Carolyn are her siblings, Barbara, Ricky, Susan, Dennis (Bonnie) and Linda (Dennis Henely) Krause; as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and friends she made over the years.
Preceded in death by her parents, James and Beverly; as well as her sister, Pamela.
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