Caroline Ann Isler-Nerud, 75, of La Crosse, died Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse.
Tinky, as she would come to be known, was born April 25, 1940, in La Crosse to Robert Carl and Katherine Grace (Schaefer) Isler. Her name at birth was Carolyn, but she later changed it. She graduated from La Crosse Central High School and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at what is now the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
She married Charles Chatt Nerud on June 11, 1961, at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa. They raised four children, making homes as they grew up in Onalaska and Mauston in Wisconsin and Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley, Calif. Charles preceded her in death in May 2004.
She was a dedicated and skilled teacher, starting her career in La Crosse in 1966 and retiring from education in 2000, having also taught in Necedah and Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms, Calif. She taught a variety of grade levels, from elementary to high school, spending most of her career as a sixth-grade teacher. She had advanced skills as a reading specialist and had a passion for teaching about the ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures.
She had many passions in her life, including gardening, cooking, traveling, grandchildren, her Skip-Bo and bridge clubs and artistic pursuits including pottery, embroidery and in the past year filling up intricate patterns in coloring books. Her dogs, Rascal and then Charlie, were dear to her and her passport to new friendships around her new neighborhoods.
She spent many hours volunteering at Hillview Health Care Center in La Crosse, where she would delight residents with her ever-changing display of gaudy socks.
She will be greatly missed by four children, Benjamin (Karen) Nerud of Germantown, Md., Elizabeth (Jim Niland) Nerud of Minneapolis, Katherine (Randy) Erickson of La Crosse and Barbara Nerud of Richfield, Minn.; and five grandchildren, Michael, Katherine and Sarah Nerud and Rebecca and Annie Erickson. Many other relatives and friends mourn her passing.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Robert Isler Jr.
A celebration of her life will be held in the spring, on the banks of the Mississippi River in Shore Acres, where many a laugh was shared with dear friends. Her cremains will rest with her husband’s in the Elroy Cemetery.
Coulee Region Cremation Group assisted the family.
The family is most grateful for the caring and professional staff at Gundersen Health System’s Critical Care Unit, who went above and beyond for Caroline.