Carrol Dixen

Carrol Dixen, 83, found peace on March 13, 2021 surrounded by her family and friends.

She was born in Ladysmith, Wisconsin on December 14, 1937 to Eugene and Adeline Patrin (Stillman). Carrol grew up in the St. Paul area, spending many days as her Dad’s helper in the family businesses, including cutting and selling Christmas trees.

With the encouragement of her mom, Carrol accepted the paperboy’s invitation to prom. Love soon followed. Duane and Carrol were married at St. Paul’s Church, St. Paul, Minnesota on June 20, 1959. Together they created a life of love and laughter, as they moved across the nation to follow Duane’s career. With each move Carrol made their house a true home, with little touches of her art throughout.

Carrol made sure their three daughters were guided through childhood with love and a good amount of advice from a realist. There were many adventures to the beach, with school activities, amusement parks, and finding treasures around town. The neighborhood kids always knew that Mrs. Dixen’s house was the place to be.

Carrol was always happy to spoil her four grandkids just a little, and a bit of sage advice was always included with the treats. She made sure they always had socks, and most Christmas gifts included at least one pair.

Carrol started working young and took on many jobs through the years including as a theater usher at the Lyceum Theater and sign maker at a Schuneman’s Department Store in St. Paul;  crossing guard for the Rockaway, NJ School District; and cashier at Grasch Foods in Brookfield, WI. She worked at the JC Penney Catalog store for many years until her retirement in 2002

Carrol was never afraid of trying to fix anything that needed it, from broken toys to the muffler on the big red car. She always said that once you know how something works you can figure out how to fix it. She was particularly good with rehabilitating and reupholstering furniture

Carrol was most at home in the garden and had many flower and vegetable beds. Her gardens were always expanding and she was always happy to share her plants with friends.

Carrol was preceded in death by her husband Duane (2016); sisters Betty Beldon, Fran (Bob) Urbanski, Marylou Wood and Shirley (Bob) Carpenter; and brother James (Eileen) Patrin.

She is survived by daughters Marguerite Dixen of Chicago, Dianne (Jeff) Dixen Bedard of Brookfield, and Christine Martens (Michael)of Wausau; grandchildren Greta Martens of Madison, Carl Martens of Stevens Point, Eric Bedard and Zachary Bedard of Brookfield; special friends Beth and Jules Christiansen; brother Eugene (Debbie) Patrin, brother-in-law Robert Carpenter and sister-in-law Eileen Patrin.

No funeral arrangements are pending. In Lieu of flowers please direct donations to Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee or socks to your local shelter.

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