Carol Dutler

 Carol Dutler passed away surrounded by family on Thursday, October 27th at the Legacy of Delano assisted living facility in Delano MN.  Services will be held at 11 am Wednesday at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Mankato.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.  Private interment will be at Woodland Hills Memorial Park.

Carol was born December 20th   1930 to George and Ellen Aspelund in St. James, MN.  She was baptized and confirmed at Albion Lutheran Church outside of Godahl, MN.  Carol attended rural grade school and later graduated from St. James high school.  Upon graduation, she moved to Mankato and attended Mankato Commercial College.  After completing these studies, she took a job at Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance where she worked for many years as a secretary.

Growing up, Carol loved all things musical.  She loved singing duets with her sister and played the piano up until a few weeks prior to her death.  She played in the high school band and sang in the choir.  She was also active in 4 H Club.

She married Jerry Dutler in 1953.  They both loved to dance and spent hours at the Kato Ballroom dancing to the bands that performed there.

Carol was able to experience two of her lifelong dreams.  She crossed the Atlantic once to step foot on the soil of her ancestors in Norway and later traveled to Hawaii to take in the beauty of that state.

Her interests included bowling, of which she was inducted to the local hall of fame in 2010,  She had a passion for the game of bridge which she enjoyed playing with her friends until late in life.  She loved to watch the Minnesota Twins on television and went as far as to write down the lineup before every game.  She would always get a phone call after the game from her good friend Joanie and they would discuss the outcome be it good or bad.  She also was “hooked” on Sudoku as she always said.

Carol played golf in her younger years having hit two “accidental” shots as she used to call them resulting in a couple holes in one.

Jerry and Carol were blessed with two children in their 43 years of marriage – son Jeffrey (Louise) and daughter Deidre (Allan Doering); 5 granddaughters, Alexandra, Kathryn and Elizabeth Dutler, Danielle Prehn, (Jake) and Mikenna Straate (Matt) and 3 greatgrandchildren Charlotte Mae Prehn, Hattie James Prehn and Oliver Allan Straate.

Carol is survived by her 2 children and their families and one sister, Elaine Johnson of Lakeville, MN.  She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Donovan Aspelund.