Carol Tjelmeland, age 80, of Emmetsburg, passed away on May 22nd at Mercy One of North Iowa in Mason City. Memorial services were held on her 81st birthday at 10:30 am Wednesday May 27th at Martin-Mattice Funeral Home in Emmetsburg. Burial will take place at St. John’s Cemetery in Emmetsburg. Carol’s service was live streamed thru the Martin-Mattice Funeral Home website.
Carol Jean Myers, the daughter of Everett and Helen (Kelling) Myers, was born on May 27, 1945, in Emmetsburg. She graduated from Emmetsburg Catholic High School in 1963. Carol married Mike Elbert in 1966 and they had 5 children. Carol worked in banking for 10 years at Iowa Trust and Savings Bank. She then worked for 30 years in the insurance industry. Carol started out as a secretary for John J. Brown Insurance Agency and worked her way up to office manager. During the farm crisis in the 1980’s she moved to Des Moines and worked for Allied Insurance Company and Montgomery Insurance Services. Carol held various positions at these companies and earned several trips for hitting sales quotas. She was able to travel to Honolulu, San Diego and Orlando.
In 1990, Carol married Keith Tjelmeland and together they purchased an insurance agency in Marshall, MO. In 1995, Keith passed away and Carol sold the agency and moved back to Emmetsburg to be closer to her family. She worked as a secretary at the ILCC Spencer Center and then back into the insurance at Pharmacists Mutual in Algona. Carol was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Pro Advantage Services and finished her career in 2007. Carol enjoyed maintaining online business where she hunted for and sold vintage items. She also enjoyed phone calls and texts from her children, dining out with friends, gambling at Wild Rose, playing computer games, maintaining her home, playing cards, investing in stocks, shopping and keeping up with national and international news events.
Left to cherish Carol’s memory are her children; Rick (Julie) Elbert, Shell (Brett) Iwen, Jeff (Jodi) Elbert and Chris Elbert all of Emmetsburg; 6 grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; a brother, Gerald (Rhonda) Myers of Cylinder; a sister, Rita Yates of Emmetsburg; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Keith; a baby son; a brother, Bill Myers; several aunts and uncles; and many friends.
