Carol Emily Irion

Carol Emily Irion, age 71, of Aberdeen, SD, passed away peacefully November 23, 2021 surrounded by her family at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND.

She was born November 9th, 1949 to Oscar and Emily (Bendewald) Klipfel of Ashley ND. She graduated from Ashley High School in 1967 and received her Bachelor of Arts from Valley City State University in 1970. On August 9, 1969, she married her high school sweetheart, Colonel Arlyn Irion of Lehr, ND.

Carol loved to teach, she spent her career teaching within the public school systems of Hazelton, Napoleon, and Edgeley, ND. Throughout her career, she taught science and literature to hundreds of students science with enthusiasm and creativity. One of her greatest talents was her ability to connect with her students and ignite a love of knowledge and sense of curiosity. She took great pride in seeing her students pursue professions that she knew she had influenced.

Throughout Carol’s life she lived as a woman of faith. Her unwavering love of Christ and mission to serve was evident in the many ways in which she was involved with the church. For the vast majority of her life, she was a devoted member of the church choir, United Methodist Women, church treasurer, Sunday school teacher, and served on more committees and philanthropic events than most serve in a lifetime. Her life was a living example of one of her favorite Bible verses, Ephesians 4:32 — “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Her trust in God and her Christian belief served as her foundation both personally and within her family.

Together, Carol and Arlyn were blessed with three children, Jacqueline (Irion) Strinden, Kristin (Irion) Ziegelmann, and Corey Irion and ten beautiful grandchildren. Her grandchildren were precious to Carol. She adored welcoming each new addition to the family and made sure each grandchild had “time with Grandma”. She always led by example, teaching them Christian values and made sure each of them knew how special they were to her and God. She made time to be a part of their lives and took great pride in having the whole family assemble at the lake to celebrate the 4th of July surrounded by family and friends.

Carol is survived by her three children and their spouses Jacqueline (daughter) and Matthew Strinden (Rocklin, CA) and their four children, Lauren, Kellen, Ashley, and Quinn Strinden; Kristin (daughter) and Nicolas Ziegelmann (Grafton) and their three children, Paityn, Easton, and Braden; Corey (son) and Jessica Irion (Grand Forks, ND) and their three children, Camden, Parker, and Evelyn. She is also survived by three sisters and their spouses, Sharon and Bruno Mulske (West Fargo-ND); Wanda and David Teply (Bloomington-MN) and their two children; Victoria and Jeff Melchior (Fargo-ND) and their three children; and by her brother-in-law, Darcy Irion and wife Lisa Irion and their four children; her brother-in-law, Gary Irion and wife Leona Irion and their three children; and her sister-in-law Delilah Bender and husband Lonnie Bender and their two children. She is also survived by her many nieces, nephews, and godchildren. All of these she loved and touched deeply.

Carol was preceded in death by her husband Arlyn Irion; her father Oscar Klipfel; her mother Emily Pfeifle; her step-father Cyrus Pfeifle; her mother-in-law Ida Irion; and father-in-law Elledhor Irion.

Funeral Services will be delayed until the spring as Carol would have thought of the safety of others during the pandemic, especially those who are dearest to her and would attend her funeral services. Until we meet to celebrate her life, please feel free to share your memories and condolences on her web page at Amundson Funeral Home (www.amundsonfuneralhome.com).