Click Here to View the Rosary Service

Click Here to View the Funeral Service

Click Here to View the Flower Arrangements

Caroline Marie Dauwen, age 72, of Lemmon, SD, passed away on Friday evening, April 17, 2020 at the West River Regional Medical Center in Hettinger, ND, with her daughters and her husband at her side.

The Funeral Service for Caroline will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at the Prince of Peace Chapel of the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD.  Burial will follow in the Greenhill Cemetery at Lemmon.

A rosary service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday evening, April 20, 2020 at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD.

Both services will be live streamed through our website and links will be made available through Caroline's obituary.  Live streaming will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the services.

Caroline Marie Mattern was born on March 16, 1948 in Mobridge, SD to Peter John and Gladys Marie (Lenerville) Mattern.  She grew up in McIntosh and graduated from McIntosh High School in 1966.  Caroline married Terry James Dauwen on September 23, 1967 at St. Bonaventure's Catholic Church in McIntosh.   They made their home during their 52 years of marriage in Lemmon.  Caroline and Terry were blessed with two daughters, Karren Rae, born on May 5, 1968  and Robyn Marie, born on October 17, 1974.

Caroline used her love of working with numbers in all of her work experiences.  She worked at the bank in McIntosh and then as a bookkeeper at Bank of Lemmon (Dacotah Bank),  a feed plant and an auto body shop.  In 1981 Caroline began her 32 years of working at Wheeler Mfg. Co., Inc. in Lemmon as a cost accountant and inventory controller.  She retired from Wheeler's on May 31, 2013.

Caroline was a valuable community volunteer putting time and talent into helping organize the Lemmon Boss Cowman Celebrations, Relay For Life, women's golf, Girl Scouts, Santa's Workshop and anything else that someone called and asked her for help doing.   Caroline was also a lifelong member of the Ralph T. Ankerson American Legion Auxiliary unit in McIntosh.  Caroline did not use the word "no."

As a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Lemmon, Caroline served as a Sacristan, taking Communion to Shut Ins, serving on the Parish Council and St. Gabriel's Circle and teaching for many years in the catechism program. Caroline organized and set up the liturgical ministers for Sunday services and especially for Easter and Christmas for many years for the parish.  In 2004 she was commissioned as a Lay Minister at St. Mary's and was a member of the Catholic Daughters and St. Mary's Koinonia family.

Caroline spent hours on the telephone visiting with her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles and many friends.  If Caroline's name showed up on the caller ID you knew you would be busy for at least a half hour!

Second only to her faith was Caroline's family.  She enjoyed visiting and spending time with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She drove miles to watch them participate in school activities and sporting events.  It was always a special time when the family gathered at the Dauwen cabin at Shadehill.  Grandma C would make everyone's favorite food, no matter how many kids were coming for the weekend.  She loved sitting on the deck, boat rides and watching Terry pull the kids on the tube.  And Christmas, Caroline loved Christmas.

Caroline suffered from many health adversities.  She had a life altering brain bleed in 2009, several neck and back surgeries and a heart attack in 2019.  She had a stroke followed by a brain bleed on April 13, 2020 and passed away at West River Regional Hospital in Hettinger, ND on April 17, 2020.

Grateful for having shared in her life are her husband, Terry,  two children, Karren (Brian) Thompson, Robyn (John) Bertolotto, six grandchildren, Hope Thompson, Madison (Kyle) Irwin, Mariah Bertolotto, Karissa Thompson,  Tagen Bertolotto and Tate Bertolotto; 4 great grandsons Gavin, Easton and Lincoln Irwin and Landen Thompson; her siblings, Paulette (Butch) Fanning, John Mattern, Joel Mattern, Betty (Derry) Meyer, Marla (John) Hausauer and Jerry Mattern; her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-laws: Judy (Dave) Anderson, Ronnie (Susie) Dauwen, Susan Dauwen, Jane (Rick) Nelson, Doug (Donna) Dauwen, Wally Dauwen and Scott (Gnelle) Dauwen and numerous nieces, nephews, Godchildren and friends.

Caroline was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Gladys Mattern, brother Jef Mattern, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ray and Mary Dauwen, brothers-in-law Jack F. Weekes and David Dauwen, sister-in-law Rhonda Mattern, nephew Dillon James Meyer and great nephew Justin Allen Fischer.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established by her family.