Carol Elwood, 85

Nov. 30, 1935 —

Aug. 16, 2021

 

FORMERLY of Cresco - Carol Nancy Marilyn Maass Elwood, age 85, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and formerly of Cresco, Iowa, passed away on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, at the Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, after being diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and liver. 

Celebration of life services were held on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cresco. Burial followed in Oak Lawn Cemetery. 

Carol was born and baptized on Nov. 30, 1935 at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn., the youngest of 11 children of Clara (Sawinski) Maass and Fred E. Maass. Her father loved calling her “Kitzel.” She was rebaptized at Trinity Lutheran Church on Feb. 24, 1936, by Rev. Martin Weinhold. She was in the last class to be confirmed by Rev. Walter W. Eifert when Trinity Lutheran was a wooden structure at West Center Street and Third Avenue SW in Rochester. 

Carol attended Lincoln Elementary School from kindergarten-fourth grade; Trinity Lutheran School in grades 5-8; grades 9-12 at Rochester Junior High and High School, graduating in 1954. She graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 1958 with a Bachelor of Music Education Degree. She taught music in the Lake Shore District, St. Clair Shores, Mich. until 1960, when, during the summer, she did graduate work through the University of Michigan at Interlochen National Music Camp and returned home to Rochester to teach music in the elementary schools there until 1962. 

Carol met Henry at a singles club dance at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Rochester on Nov. 3, 1961, where Les Fields’ band was playing. Henry took her home from the dance, and the rest is history. They were married on Sept. 22, 1962, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rochester by Pastor Eifert at Trinity’s “new” location at Third Street and Sixth Avenue SW. This church, an imposing cut limestone structure resembling a Spanish Mission Church with a red tile roof, was engineered by Carol’s father, Fred E. Maass. Mr. Maass was the original mechanical engineer for the Mayo Clinic, being employed by the Drs. William and Charles Mayo and Dr. Henry Plummer in 1927 until his death on May 30, 1955. 

Soon after coming to Cresco, Carol was asked to teach piano to the Klingle boys, then a few Kepros kids, and then her teaching mushroomed! In later years, she began teaching Musikgarten, which became her passion. She recalls having attended a Lutheran Women’s retreat at EWALU years ago, and the leader asked each person to dream of one thing they would like to accomplish in their lifetime. It was her dream that everyone would be able to sing, read music and enjoy music in their daily lives. 

She credits her parents and siblings for her love of music. Her family sang songs while doing the dishes and enjoyed singing around the piano, while older sister Florence played. She loved hearing her siblings, aunts and uncles sing traditional German songs during family gatherings. She also loved listening to Florence play classical music. Her sister was truly an inspiration to her “kleine Schwester.” 

Carol credits her parents for having given her a firm foundation in the Christian faith. Every evening, after supper, her father would read devotions and read from “The Book,” followed by The Lord’s Prayer and a Prayer of Thanks. She is especially thankful for the years spent at Lutheran School, where she had Catechism and/or Bible History every day. She felt that she gained valuable experience singing there, where she was assigned parts wherever she was needed the most. She recalls that Principal Mr. Zielske sometimes had the classes sing all day when preparing for a Christmas Cantata or Lent and Holy Week services. 

One of the highlights of Carol’s spiritual life at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cresco was taking the Bethel Series course from Pastor Franke, taking teachers’ training from its writer, Harley Swiggum in Madison, Wis. and teaching the entire Old and New Testaments to members of the congregation. 

Carol felt it a privilege to learn to play Immanuel’s tracker organ. She is grateful to members of Immanuel for having given her the privilege, not only to play the organ, but to learn on it, as well. She enjoyed singing and directing the choir. 

Joys in her life included handling music at Vacation Bible School, organizing and classifying books in the church library, along with a committee of dedicated workers. She took to reading Christian literature, like a fish takes to water. “Guideposts,” “Plus” and “Angels on Earth” were among her favorite periodicals, and she read numerous books by recent and past theologians. 

She enjoyed serving the church through the work of the Women of the ELCA, serving as an officer locally, in the cluster and in the synod, as well as the Iowa District. 

Carol enjoyed 59 years of marriage with Henry, especially the cycles of life, even the challenge of motorcycle riding. The couple enjoyed their ventures and creating memories together and were fortunate to have taken a 9,000-mile/52-day Harley Davidson trip from Iowa to Alaska. 

She was proud of their three daughters and experienced an “empty nest syndrome” when they left home. She took an avid interest in her grandchildren, trying to be with each daughter when each grandchild was born if she could get there in time! 

Carol was active in women’s clubs, church women’s organizations and bridge clubs. She enjoyed participating in Royal Palm Players and Grande Glee in Boca Grande, Fla. She was a Stephen Minister, Chaplain and Hospitality Hostess of UMW in her Boca Grande church, as well as choir director, organist and pianist. 

Carol is survived by her husband, Henry of Cedar Rapids; daughters, Marina (Kent) Carson of Omaha, Neb., Laura Elwood (Bruce Johnson) of Maple Grove, Minn. and Christina (Bradley) Elwood Gehrke of Solon, Iowa; grandchildren, Kenton and Marissa Carson, Sean and Blake O’Donnell, Ben Johnson and Hunter, Chase and Otto Gehrke; sister, Florence (Charles) Sears of Orange, Calif.; and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and cousins. 

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Helen, Phyllis, Marian, Pauline and Lorraine; and brothers David, Leonard, Richard and Charles Maass. 

Memorials may be directed to the Elwood family and will be used to continue Carol’s interests in the community.