Caryn Lea (Goldsmith) Modawell, 69, of West Salem, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Friday, March 30, 2012; she is now with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 She was born in La Crosse on Sept. 14, 1942, to Ceona (Ehlo) and Howard Goldsmith. Caryn was a 1960 graduate of West Salem High School. After high school she attended both UW-Whitewater and Winona Secretarial school.

After graduating from college, Caryn traveled and lived all over the world. One of her first stops after leaving the West Salem area was Washington, D.C. where she was the secretary for the Chief of Staff at Walter Reed Hospital. From there she moved to Honolulu. While in Hawaii, she married and had her first child, Michele Leilani. After a short jaunt in San Francisco, Caryn then moved to Virginia where her second child, Michael Lee was born. Eventually she returned to West Salem, where she raised her two children while working over the years at Gundersen Lutheran, La Crosse County Health Department, La Crosse County Court House, and volunteering for the American Red Cross. In 1999, Caryn left the West Salem/La Crosse area to start a new chapter in her life and began working full-time for the American Red Cross. Her new adventure took her to Fort Jackson, SC, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, and Colorado Springs, CO until she retired in 2008 and returned to West Salem to care for her Mother and Stepfather, Ceona and Don Meinking.

In addition to her selfless and caring nature, Caryn was an extremely talented artist and gardener. Whether it was through her drawings, quilts, cross-stitch pieces or her flowers, she always found a way to express her free-spirited soul to those around her. Her biggest passion, however, was her family. Caryn raised two children on her own, who between the two of them provided her with seven beautiful grandchildren. She was a proud grandma supporting her grandchildren in all their activities, whether it was soccer or volleyball games, choir or band concerts, or just simply teaching her grandchildren life lessons on compassion, diversity and acceptance of others, she ensured she was a guiding and supporting presence in their lives.

 She is survived by her Stepfather, Donald Meinking of West Salem; brother David (Jill) Goldsmith of Westminster, CO; her daughter Michele (Stephen) Jakle and their children, Sierra, Azaria, and Chandra of New Baltimore, MI; her son Michael (Jelaine) Modawell and their children, Sadie, Kiele, Ethan and Chloe of West Salem; Her special Aunt, Verna Willinger; Uncle Maynard Olson; Uncle Herbert Meinking; Aunt Esther Folkerts; Her special cousin who was like her sister, Barb (Michael) Miller and several other special cousins; sister-in-law Joanne Goldsmith of Crystal, MN; niece Renae Goldsmith of Seattle, WA; nephew Ryan Goldsmith of Crystal, MN; nephew Ed Guerkink and his son, her only Great Nephew, Westin Guerkink of Star Prairie, WI.

 She was preceded in death by her paternal and maternal grandparents, her parents – Ceona and Howard Goldsmith; three infant siblings – two brothers and her twin sister, several aunts and uncles and a very special niece, Rachelle Guerkink.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm, at Bethany Evangelical Free Church, 3936 County Road B, La Crosse, WI 54601. On Wednesday, April 4, 2012 a celebration of life service will be held at 11:00 am, with visitation beginning at 9:30 am, also at Bethany Evangelical Free Church, Pastor Corey Sateren will officiate. Coulee Region Cremation Group is assisting the family.

 If you would like to share a fond or charming memory about Caryn with her family, please write it down on a slip of paper or stationary and bring it with you to the visitation or the celebration service. The family will have a Memory Basket for the written memories to go in that will be read during the celebration.

 The family would like to thank Mayo Clinic Health System, Dr. Gill, and the Hospice staff from Gunderson Lutheran for their support during Mom’s illness.

 In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that memorials be directed to The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation or The American Red Cross.

 “If there ever comes a day that we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there for ever.” ~ Winnie the Pooh