Posted on August 23, 2021 at 4:41 PM by Emily Saveraid
Carolyn embodies all that 4-H stands for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. She has been involved in 4-H since 1968 when her oldest daughter Denise joined James Silver Crickets. That club joined the Pleasant Peppy Pals and Carolyn became the leader around 1972. She was an organizational leader for over 22 years.
Carolyn was a kind, supportive, and energetic leader. During her years as a 4-H leader, she scheduled many workshops and educational club tours. She led overnight camping trips to Camp Neyati by Mineola, IA.
Carolyn and her husband, Merlynn, were chaperones for 40 4-Hers from multiple counties on the Washington D.C. 4-H Focus trip in 1975. Carolyn also accompanied her daughter to Oklahoma on a 4-H Exchange trip. Their family hosted summer 4-H exchange participants from Colorado, Texas, and Canada.
All of Carolyn's grandchildren are 4-H members or alumni in Iowa and Nebraska; Carolyn never misses a county fair or her grandkids' 4-H events.
Carolyn also has a very green thumb from yard work to gardening to flowers, she does it all. She is involved in a local garden club and is an Iowa Master Gardener. She is a tireless volunteer at Carsten's Farm near Shelby, IA where she helps with the planting and harvesting of potatoes that area elementary students help with. She planted and cares for a beautiful flower bed there dedicated to her late husband, Merlynn. Carolyn is on the Shelby Train Committee and maintains a flower bed at the Corn Crib restaurant near Shelby and another at her church, Minden USS Church.
She has been a member of the Minden UCC Church since she and Merlynn married in 1957. In addition to the flower bed, she has helped with many chicken dinner fundraisers.
In addition to raising her four children, Denise, Dwight, Deloma, and Diane, Carolyn worked hard on the farm raising thousands of chickens as laying hens as well as broilers and capons. She also helped Merlynn with farrowing and feeding hogs. As you can imagine, Carolyn had a bountiful garden where she canned and preserved much of her own garden produce.
Carolyn is the proud grandma to 10 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
She is such an inspiration! She has a "never quit attitude" and ALWAYS has a smile and time to visit.
Categories: Pottawattamie (East), 2021
