Carolyn Fiedler

Carolyn Lorene Fiedler, 82, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, at Jackson Villas Memory Care.

She was born April 11, 1940, in Shawneetown, a twin daughter of Arthur H. and Loraine N. Schlimpert Fiedler.

Carolyn was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Shawneetown. She was a 1958 graduate of Jackson High School. After high school, she completed office training school.

Carolyn had an enthusiastic, "never met a stranger" personality. She shared her talents in her work and in volunteering. Her numerous jobs included administrative assistant, office manager, sales associate, activity aide at Missouri Veterans Home and choir director.

Carolyn was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson. She was a former member and familiar face at St. Andrew Lutheran Church and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, both in Cape Girardeau, serving as organist for more than 40 years. Carolyn loved to serve God through music "whenever the Lord led her," including playing the organ at many local churches.

Carolyn Fiedler

Carolyn Fiedler

Carolyn had a real heart for international missions and was a fervent supporter of the Lutheran Laymen's League, International Lutheran Hour and Lutheran Women's Missionary League. In 1995, she used the "universal language of music" as a music missionary in eight small parishes in Paraguay, South America. In 1999, through the Sister to Sister program, LWML sponsored Carolyn to travel to the Philippines to provide assistance and encouragement to a missionary's wife.

Carolyn also volunteered through Potter's Clay Ministries and Saxony Lutheran High School, where she was an honorary cheerleader. In 2018, she was recognized by KFVS as an "Everyday Hero" for her coordination and leadership of Good Shepard Lutheran Outreach Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Loving survivors include a sister, Cherlyn (Dennis) Parham of Jackson; sister-in-law, Carolyn (the late Eugene) Fiedler of Jackson, Wisconsin; niece, Megan (Todd) Marchi, and their children, Sutton and Cullen of Jackson; nephew, Josh (Tatianna) Parham of Cape Girardeau; niece, Phyllis (Jeff) Mortenson of West Bend, Wisconsin; and nephew, Dave (Cheryl) Weise of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Eugene Fiedler; sisters and brothers-in-law, Jeaniece (the late Don) Reimer and Charlene (the late Wayne) Clark; and an infant twin sister, Carol C. Fiedler, who passed at birth.

Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

The Rev. Virgil Kelm will lead a life celebration service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at the funeral home. Inurnment will follow at Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Shawneetown, where Carolyn will be laid to rest next to her twin infant sister.

Serving as a pallbearer will be Josh Parham, followed by Megan Marchi and Tatianna Parham. Honorary pallbearers are Dennis Parham, Todd Marchi and Sutton and Cullen Marchi.

If considering a memorial contribution, the family suggests one of Carolyn's favorite charities: Blind and Visually Impaired Fellowship and Outreach, c/o Trinity Lutheran Church, 100 N. Frederick St., Cape Girardeau, MO 63701; Lutheran Hour Ministries, 600 Mason Ridge Center, St. Louis, MO 63141; or Trinity Lutheran Church or Cemetery, 175 Shawneetown Road, Shawneetown, MO 63755-8227.

The family would like to thank the staff at Jackson Villas Memory Care and Crown Hospice for the loving care provided to Carolyn.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by clicking on the "Tribute Wall" tab of Carolyn's obituary page at www.mccombsfuneralhome.com.