Carolynn (Carol) Frances (Feeney) Gruber

Carolynn (Carol) Frances Gruber, age 91, of Mondovi, WI passed away June 27, 2023, at home surrounded by her family under the care of ProMedica Hospice.  Carol was born March 29, 1932 to Harry and Grayce (Winter) Feeney, the only daughter among five brothers.  She attended Mondovi elementary schools through 3rd grade.  In 1941 her family moved to a farm in Pepin County.  There she was a student at East Pepin, a one-room country school, walking nearly 2 miles to school and back.  The farm was sold in 1947, and the family moved to the closed Anthony Store located on Hwy 37 in the town of Drammen.  They renamed it Feeney’s Country Store.

Carol was raised during the Great Depression, so grew up to be a hard worker.  As a teenager she walked the field rows detasseling corn for a neighbor’s (Fedie’s) seed corn business.  Another summer she picked cucumbers for the Mondovi Canning Factory to help pay her way through high school.  After graduating Mondovi High School in 1950, Carol worked as an operator at Mondovi Telephone Company.  She married Eugene (Gene) Gruber on June 10, 1952 at the old Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mondovi.  They farmed in the township of Albany, eastern Pepin County, from 1952-2015.

Carol was a member of Sacred Heart Parish’s Altar Society, and a past member of the CCD school committee, canvass board, and Sacred Heart School board.  She volunteered as a librarian at Sacred Heart School, and was a volunteer aide for Mondovi kindergarten.  She was a co-founder of the East Pepin Paradise Valley Birthday Club.  Her special interests were in family genealogy and photographing old wooden barns.  As part of a woodworking class, she built a grandfather clock and several wall shelves.  She also enjoyed ceramics and painting with acrylics and oil.

Survivors include daughters Joan Gruber and Mary Jo (Matt) Lamb, sons James and Scott Gruber, grandsons Jeremy and David (Kiara Langreck) Lamb, great-grandson Bentley Lamb; and sisters-in-law Betty Bauer and Helen Feeney.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Gene; son Donald (survived by Sandy Serum); brothers Pat (Ardell) Feeney, Roger (Evelyn) Feeney, Jim Feeney, John (Bernice) Feeney, Bill (Lori) Feeney; brothers and sisters-in-law Dorothy Feeney, Robert (Dorothy) Gruber, Darold Bauer, and Bernard (Bonnie) Gruber.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Mondovi, with Father Emmanuel Asamoah-Bekoe officiating.  Visitation will be one hour prior to Mass at the church.  Burial will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Mondovi.

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