Carol Lorraine Rain

On May 1, 2020, Carol Lorraine Rain, age 74, of Chatfield, Minn., entered Heaven’s gates to meet our Lord and Savior and was finally reunited with her beloved son Jamie.

Carol was born on September 19, 1945, in Cresco, Iowa, to Robert and Lorraine (Bakken) Greenslade where she grew up on their family farm south of Harmony, Minn.  She attended country school for eight years in rural Harmony.   In 1963, Carol graduated with honors from Harmony High School. Following high school she attended Winona State College and later Rochester Community and Technical College.

On September 10, 1967, she was united in marriage to Lynn Dale Turner at Freemont Lutheran Church in Harmony.  They made their first home in Lime Springs, Iowa, where they resided for 10 years and were blessed with four children.  In 1975, they moved to a family farm in Chatfield, Minn.  Lynn Dale later died in 1978.  She married Scott Vernon Rain at Chatfield Lutheran Church on August 3, 1984.  They later divorced.  

Carol’s career started in 1963 as a secretary at Yaeger and Schumann, Public Accountants, in Rochester, Minn., where she worked for three years.  From 1977 to 1987, she was the office manager for SE MN Special Education Coop which consisted of eight schools.  Carol’s time spent in the school district was the highlight of her working years.  In 1989, she began a career at Mayo Clinic as a medical transcriptionist, where she dedicated 25 years of service and retired in 2014. 

God gifted Carol with many musical talents and she greatly enjoyed sharing her love of music with others. For many years she played piano and organ for church, social events and the Chosen Valley Care Center.  Along with her love of music she had a great passion for teaching children.  She taught Sunday School at Chatfield Lutheran Church for many years, where she developed lifelong relationships with many of her students.

Personal relationships were something Carol greatly valued. She had many friends whom she adored and were like family to her.  Carol loved sending cards and kept in touch with all who crossed her path in life. One of her greatest pleasures was her classmate luncheons and outings.  Over the years, Carol enjoyed many traveling adventures with family and friends. She was even known to go on trips alone, and was sure to find friends along the way!  When Carol wasn’t making memories on her travels or spending time with family and friends, she dedicated countless hours to making sure those memories lasted through her hobby of scrapbooking. Carol also spent endless time outdoors tending to her beautiful flower gardens and immaculately kept yard.

Carol had a long-standing relationship with God and a strong faith which never wavered.  Her love of the Lord was evident in her writings.  She had an eloquent way with words and her enjoyment of writing shined through her extensive Christmas letters (or rather, books)!

Survivors include three daughters: Shawn (Jeff) LaPlante, Michelle (Michael) Pederson, and Melanie (Chad) Cylkowski; eight grandchildren:  Chantel, Joshua, and Jayme LaPlante; Mariah, MaKayla, and Macy Pederson; Anthony and Anna Cylkowski; siblings Sharon (Ken) Vagts, Ron (Karen) Greenslade, Dean (Char) Greenslade, Randy (Shari) Greenslade, and Karen (Phil) Van De Velde, as well as many adored nieces and nephews.

Preceding Carol in death are her son Jamie Turner, grandson Jared Pederson, parents Robert and Lorraine Greenslade, and sister Kathy Showman.

A private family service will be held in the Timothy Chapel at Autumn Ridge on Friday, May 8, followed by burial at the Chatfield Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorials can be mailed in her honor to Hoff Funeral Home, P.O. Box 576, St. Charles, Minn. 55972.  Hoff Funeral Service is assisting the family with arrangements.  Please leave a message for the family or a memory of Carol at her online guestbook and view her video tribute when it becomes available at www.hofffuneral.com.