Carol Keeling

Carol Erna (Closson) Keeling died at the age of 100 on February 19, 2023. She was
born on October 17, 1922, in Norfolk, Nebraska, the only surviving child of Erna (Wilde)
and Warren Closson.
Throughout Carol’s life she brought warmth to those around her and had a knack for
making everyone feel accepted. She was a steady, loving, and encouraging presence
and did not dwell on the difficult times. She always took time to enjoy life’s small
pleasures: beautiful sunsets, a good book, fall foliage, a bowl of fresh raspberries.
Growing up in the 1930’s, her family did not evade the tough times that the country was
going through. Carol would recall tumbleweeds blowing through the streets of Norfolk
during the Dust Bowl and having to give up her beloved dog Betty when her father’s job
loss during the Great Depression forced them to move in with grandparents. But she
always emphasized happier memories. In addition to her loving grandparents, she was
surrounded by a warm and lively extended family that was an integral part of her
formative years. In 1927 at the age of four, when her family was living in Sioux Falls,
SD, she saw Charles Lindbergh on his national tour after his famous transatlantic flight.
As she grew older, Carol danced to Big Band music and in 1940 graduated from Norfolk
High School. A job with the War Department brought her to Omaha where she met
Floyd Keeling, whom she married in 1944. Carol remembered one night looking out of
her 2 nd story window when she heard joyous shouts in the street celebrating the end of
World War II.
Following the war, Carol and Floyd moved to the dairy farm outside of Des Moines
where Floyd had grown up. She raised four children (Jim, Julie, Tom and John), worked
as a secretary first in the Bridges Law Firm, and later until her retirement in 1986, at the
Davis Brown Law Firm, both in Des Moines.
After Floyd’s death, Carol married Al Henning, and she delighted in her “second family”
of Al’s daughters Kay, Nancy, Joyce, and Beth, in addition to many others including
numerous grandchildren. She also found a supportive community at the Christian
Church in Carlisle.
In Carol’s later years, she enjoyed reading (particularly history), eating family meals on
the porch, playing endless card games with her grandchildren Emma and Marie, and
the company of her two cats. Carol lived in her house on the farm until age 98, thanks to
the attentive care from the staff at Home Instead. Her final 18 months were spent at
Norwalk Nursing and Rehabilitation, and her family is grateful for their warmth and
professionalism. A memorial celebration will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a
donation in her honor to a charity of your choice is suggested.