Beth DeCarlo

BETH (MICHELS) DECARLO

Cedar Rapids

Beth Kay (Michels) DeCarlo, 28, of Cedar Rapids, died Saturday, March 21, 2015, following a brief illness. Funeral services: 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 25, at Peace Lutheran Church, Ryan, by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Edringer. Visitation: 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids. Burial: Rose Hill Cemetery, Mechanicsville.

Survivors include her husband, Nicholas; parents, Lowell "Bud" and Donna Michels of Mechanicsville; siblings, Brandon Michels of Cheyenne, Wyo., Justin (Jessica) Michels of Kettering, Ohio, and Izan Michels of Mechanicsville; grandparents, Kay Don and Carol Krumroy of Mechanicsville and Lowell and Grace Michels of Shellsburg; her in-laws, Richard and Candia DeCarlo of Harlan; sister-in-law, Ashley (Farfum) Ladroma of Des Moines; several nieces and nephews; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Beth was born Oct. 8, 1986, in Aurora, Colo., the daughter of Lowell and Donna (Krumroy). She graduated from West Delaware High School in 2005 and was a past officer with the International Order of Rainbow Girls of Iowa and Minnesota. Beth attended Valparaiso University, then Luther College, where she graduated in 2009 with a B.A. in elementary education. She was a substitute teacher in the Cedar Rapids area before finding her first full-time teaching position last fall at Albert City-Truesdale Elementary School, where she taught second grade.

On May 10, 2014, she married her soulmate, Nicholas DeCarlo, at Peace Lutheran Church, where they first met five years before as a groomsman and bridesmaid for a friends' wedding. They loved spending time together, especially attending country concerts, taking walks, golfing and traveling. They were looking forward to their upcoming honeymoon to Italy. They had a special bond that helped them find the best in everything.

Beth will be remembered for her beaming smile and a laugh that brightened every room. She was an avid reader and enjoyed baking for her family and friends. Her love of kids was evident by her passion for teaching and instilling the best in her students. She also enjoyed helping raise her brother's son after his death, affectionately calling Izan her "bro-neph."

She was preceded in death by her brothers, Jason and Shawn Michels; and her grandparents, Eldon and Pauline Hansen.

Memorials are suggested to the family.

Please share your support and memories with Beth's family on her celebration wall at www.stewartbaxter.com under obituaries.