CAROL J. REHNSTROM, 84, of Algona, Iowa and formerly of Aurelia and Alta passed from this life into eternal life on Wednesday, August 27th surrounded by her family at the Kossuth Regional Medical Center in Algona, Iowa.

A funeral service and celebration of life will be held Saturday, August 30th at 1:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cherokee, Iowa. Pastor Jon Riggert will officiate. Burial will be at the Scandinavian Cemetery, rural Alta, Iowa. There will be a family prayer service at 1:15 p.m. at the Church on Saturday. Visitation will be on Friday from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa with the family present from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. On line condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

Carol Jean (Leitch) Rehnstrom was born at a farmhouse south of Milford, Iowa on February 12, 1930 to Ernest and Mary (Benzkofer) Leitch; the second born child. In her childhood she enjoyed reading mysteries, especially the "Hardy Boys", and a favorite childhood book was "Heidi". She also enjoyed playing "school".

She attended schools at Milford and Arnolds Park, graduating from Arnolds Park High School in 1948. During her high school years she excelled in the skills of typing, having a record 108 words per minute. After graduation she worked at the Dickinson County Savings Bank until early 1951. She then moved to Storm Lake and worked at Citizen's First National Bank. During her years in Storm Lake she met many life-long friends. In February of 1958 she met Marlen (Bill) Rehnstrom and after a whirlwind courtship of two months, Carol married Bill on April 8, 1958 at St. Joseph Rectory in Milford. After their marriage, the couple settled on a farm north of Alta and Carol became a farm wife. Always a woman of great faith, she became involved in many church activities in Alta and Cherokee including the women's organization, Bible Studies and Altar Guild.

One daughter was born to this union, Jeanine Marie, in January of 1959. The couple retired from farming in 1984 and moved into the Aurelia Community. In retirement they were able to travel and their most favorite destination was Branson, Missouri, sometimes going three times a year.

After the death of Bill in February 1992, Carol carried on her life by the help of many friends and family. Carol's favorite pastimes included reading historic novels, baking goodies for her family and shopping.

At the lessening of her eyesight, Carol moved to Algona, Iowa in July of 2008. She remained very independent when she became a resident of the Van Buren Terrace. Upon declining health, she moved into the Windsor Manor in March of 2014. During these years she was able to spend time with her family and enjoyed the days when she would come to Cherokee to visit with friends.

Preceding her in death were her husband of 33 years, Bill in February 1992; her parents in February 1994, and a brother Leon in December of 2001.

Survivors include her daughter Jeanine and her husband Harry Haack of Algona, Iowa; one granddaughter, Sarah Marie of Chicago, Illinois; one grandson, Daniel Lee of Waverly, Iowa; a sister-in-law, Carley Leitch of Spirit Lake , Iowa; and several nieces and nephews.