BOONE, Iowa—Carolyn Mae (Vetter) Handy went happily with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at Westhaven Community in Boone.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 A.M. Monday, July 10, 2023, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Boone. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. at the church. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Boone.
Carolyn was born in Topeka, Kansas, on June 7, 1935, to very proud parents, John “Dutch” and Evelyn (Jordan) Vetter. She attended schools in Topeka and graduated from Topeka High School in 1953. She worked many long hours at an ice cream shop and babysitting to pay for her great love, her Janssen piano, at age 17. She kept that piano with her throughout her life.
Carolyn met Walter Handy in her graduating class from Topeka High School, and they married in 1955. From this union came daughter Linda, who married Jim Mosman in 1984, subsequently giving birth to their daughter, Lily. After marriage, Carolyn followed her husband’s job from Topeka to Nebraska, Kansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Iowa. She enjoyed being the homemaker and organizing for the family to move into their new home. Carolyn moved the family across the country several times and had nary a loss of furniture in the moves. She was very careful with her packing!
Carolyn spent her married life as a homemaker and an assistant to Walter in the various newspapers he ran, but the couple later divorced. Carolyn then entered the working world to supplement her income. She worked many years for the Bell Telephone system, and also went to work for Boone Bank and Trust here in Boone before retiring. Carolyn’s hobbies included attending all of her granddaughter’s sporting events and loudly cheering them on. She also enjoyed sewing, as she sewed all of her daughter’s prom dresses, and she was an amazing cook. Carolyn’s biscuits and pies were always sought after by friends and family, and she could handle a large holiday meal quite easily. She was also a 50-year Member of the Order of the Eastern Star from her chapter in Topeka.
She was preceded in death by her parents; infant brother, John and toddler sister, Mary Louise; best friends Bette Wilson and Judy Moore; former husband, Walt Handy; and her aunts, Esther, Elsie, and Shon, all of whom raised her during a protracted illness involving her father.
Carolyn will be loved and remembered by her remaining family, daughter, Linda (Jim) Mosman of Boone; granddaughter, Lily Mosman of Des Moines; and the Nye, Barton, Lillard, Logan, Yuhas, Schimmel, Givler, Holland, Comfort, Mosman, Hickle, Anderson, Deaton and Sondoll families.
Memorials or Dedications may be sent to Sacred Heart School or Sacred Heart Parish, Boone, of whom she was a proud member. In earlier years, she would often piano accompany the congregation in song.
Carolyn’s family would like to express their sincere appreciation for the wonderful love and care given to her during her stay at Westhaven. She was attended to physically and spiritually, and all of those acts made a big difference in her life. A very special thank you goes to Pete, of Westhaven, who went above and beyond the duty just to help a friend. You will be forever talked about in our family and with gratitude and love. All of the Westhaven staff dealt with Carolyn (and all the other residents) as if she was their family. That love carried Carolyn through until Jesus took her hand. Thank you!
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets in Boone. Online condolences may be left to Carolyn’s family at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com.
