Caroline Marie Jelle

Caroline Marie Jelle, age 95 of Blue Earth, passed away on Monday, April 19, 2021 at Mayo Clinic Hospital, St. Mary’s Campus in Rochester. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at Bricelyn Lutheran Church. Due to Covid-19 concerns, masks and social distancing are mandated. A time for visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial will take place at South Blue Earth Lutheran Cemetery with lunch to follow at the school in Frost. The service will be live streamed at www.pattonfh.com/obituary/caroline-jelle.

Caroline was born on March 27, 1926 in Kiester, MN to Johnnie and Christina (Goette) Johnson. She attended Heitzeg Country School through the 8^th grade. Caroline graduated from Kiester High School in 1944. On June 30, 1951, she married Ardin Jerome Jelle. The couple was blessed with 6 children whom they raised while farming in the Bricelyn area.

Caroline’s life was devoted to serving others and her words and example encouraged others to do the same. Her 67 children, grandchildren, their spouses, and great grandchildren were her greatest sources of joy, and she amazed everyone with her ability to remember  their birthdays, middle names, interests, and special events even in her last days . Caroline’s faith in Christ was the driving force behind her servant’s heart and she loved participating in church activities such as teaching Sunday School, leading Bible studies, serving on many committees, and making quilts for local charities  and world missions. She loved to travel and enjoyed learning about her kids and grandkids lives in Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Kansas, North Carolina, and Alabama. Gardening, bird watching, and reading were her favorite past-times, and she taught her family to appreciate and enjoy the wonders of nature and books .

Caroline lived in the Bricelyn area until 2015, when she moved to Nicollet Place (now called Sistercare) in Blue Earth . She felt very blessed to spend the final years of her life close to home and family, surrounded by devoted caregivers and many new friends.

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Michael (Cindy) Jelle of Sartell, Randell (Wanda) Jelle of Newton, Kansas, Carol (Dan) Grinde of Andover, Mary (Craig) Beyer of Blue Earth, Barb (Ray) Svoboda of Ankeny, Iowa, and Kay (Willis) Dekruif of Rosemount; 17 grandchildren; and 26 great grandchildren, plus one on the way, and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Ardin in 1997; her parents; brother, and infant granddaughter. We are confident that the first words she heard upon stepping into heaven were “Well done, good and faithful servant!”