Carolina Seydel

CAROLINA SEYDEL

Iowa City

Carolina Ann Chopek Seydel passed away Thursday, June 4, 2015, surrounded by her family. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 9, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, with Father John Spiegel

officiating. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, Iowa City, where a parish vigil service will be at 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Mary's Catholic Church or University of Iowa Foundation – Pulmonary and Thoracic Care.

Carol was born Nov. 25, 1928, in Iowa City, the daughter of Leo Eppel and Mary (Donovan) Chopek. She attended St. Mary's Catholic School and received her B.A. in education from the University of Iowa in 1950.

Carol, or Clopey as some people knew her, was a lifelong student and teacher. She was a perpetual graduate student at the University of Iowa as she pursued her teaching licenses in English, language arts and broad field science. Her teaching career spanned over 30 years.

Beginning in 1965, she was a teacher for Iowa City Catholic Schools. She taught at St. Mary's School, Iowa City Catholic Grade School and Regina.

Carol retired from teaching in 1987 and traveled extensively with her husband, Ret. Lt. Col. Lyle G. Seydel, who preceded her in death on April 7, 2012. Their adventures in their motor home included the winding rural roads in Mexico and Guatemala, Nova Scotia, and into the wilderness of Alaska.

Carol's love for adventure and learning also included a passion for history and genealogy. She was active in the Old Capitol Questers and had traced the Chopek and Donovan family history back six generations. Her research took her on many one-day junkets to collect antiques and one extended trip to Ireland to study family history. Some say that Carol was the local go-to person to learn about the early Czech settlement of Goosetown in Iowa City.

Carol also was a leader on the St. Mary's Parish Council, a docent at Old Capitol and University of Iowa Art Museum, Girl Scouts of America and Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

Carol was preceded in death by her husband, Ret. Lt. Col. Lyle G. Seydel; two sisters, Joan Morrison and MaryEtta White; and her granddaughter, Micah.

Her surviving children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren celebrate the energy and feisty nature that she has passed along to them.

Carol is survived by five children, Mary Ann (Robert) Molsberry of St. Louis, Mo., Madonna (Ron) White of Iowa City, Jennifer (Mark Heininger) Seydel of Madison, Wis., Lee Chopek Seydel of Solon and Lyle (Liz Sheeder) Seydel of West Branch; 10 grandchildren, Ames Molsberry of St. Louis, Caitlin (Molsberry) Suginaka of Spokane, Wash., Brenna (Lynch) Eldeen of Iowa City, Cassie Lynch of Cedar Rapids, Max Mikelson of Cedar Rapids, Donovan Mikelson of Iowa City, Colton Seydel of Pittsburgh, Pa., Anna Seydel of Solon, William Seydel of Mitchell, S.D., and Joe Seydel, West Branch; and five great- grandchildren, Molly, Grayson, Everly, Anden and Hutch.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.