Carol A. (Lenigan) Nehls

On September 24, 2022, while in the loving care of Heritage Homes in Watertown, Carol A. Nehls (nee Lenigan), age 80 years old, quietly and peacefully fell asleep, and went home to the loving hands of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, where she will no longer have to endure the lingering effects of the Parkinson’s disease she so bravely dealt with in these last years of her life.

Carol was born on December 29, 1941, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to her mother, Eleanor Lenigan.  This is where she grew up and attended school, graduating in 1960 from South Hills High School in Pittsburgh.  This is also where, as a young woman, she met the love of her life, a young man by the name of Charles Nehls, who was currently serving in the U.S. Army.  They soon fell in love and were married on May, 19, 1961, in the First Church of the Nazarene in Pittsburgh.  After they were married, he then brought his new wife back to the area where he was born and raised, that being Hustisford, Wisconsin.  This is where she learned to play the game of sheepshead, which she greatly enjoyed while getting together with both family and friends.  This is also where the city girl from Pittsburgh first learned how to drive a farm tractor, all while proceeding to tear down a line fence in the process.

During the first few years of their marriage, Carol learned what farm life was like here in Wisconsin.  Then shortly thereafter, she and her husband moved to the village of Hustisford, and operated the C & C Drive-Inn for over 10 years.  During those first many years of marriage, they would end up moving multiple times.  During one of those such moves, one of her close friends asked her why she moved so often.  In her own way, she jokingly responded back, because “the house was dirty.”

Carol was a member of Bethany Ev. Lutheran Church in Hustisford for over 50 years.  She was a lifelong member of the Sinissippi Settlers Homemakers Club, where she actively participated in their many community events, while at the same time making many wonderful, life-long friendships along the way.  She also spent her time serving as a leader in the Sinissippi 4-H Club, as well as the Bethany Lutheran Girls Pioneers.  Carol loved spending time with family and friends, especially when it came to playing cards.  She also greatly enjoyed the Holidays, especially that of Christmas.  She found a special joy in collecting angels, especially Seraphim Angels, and now we can gladly say that she can be found alongside those same angels in heaven.  Carol also greatly enjoyed spending the time that she had with her two young grandchildren.  And of course, we can not leave out the love that she had for her precious baby, her Shih Tzu dog, Pumpkin.

Carol loved to travel, and even though she and her husband did not make it to all the places that they wanted, they enjoyed those places that they were able to travel to with each other and always held those memories close and dear to their hearts.  Many years were spent enjoying the times that they had with family and friends at the trailer that they had on Lake Puckaway, up near Princeton, whether that be out on the lake riding around on their pontoon, or simply sitting around an open campfire.  They also enjoyed spending the winter months for the last 15+ years at their place down in Zephyrhills, Florida.  Here also, is where they once again made many wonderful and lasting friendships.

Carol is survived, and will be greatly missed, by her loving husband and companion of 61 years, Charles;  her three children:  Richard Nehls, and Tammy (Dan) Thompson, both of Watertown, and Michael (Kari) Nehls of Hartford;  along with her two grandchildren, Kamira and Mikah Nehls.  She is also survived by her sister, Shirley Kelsesky of Clearwater, Florida;  her sisters-in-law, Claudia Krohn of Arizona, and Ruth Nehls of Watertown; and her brother-in-law, Stanley Nehls of Hustisford.  She is also survived by nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

The family would also like to give a special thanks to all the wonderful care and support given to Carol from the staff at both Heritage Homes in Watertown, as well as Rainbow Hospice from Jefferson.

Visitation is Friday, September 30, from 4-7 p.m., and Saturday, October 1, from 10 a.m.-12:00 p.m., at Bethany Ev. Lutheran Church, 269 N. Lake St., Hustisford.  The Funeral service will follow at Church on Saturday on 12:00 p.m.  Pastor Justin Cloute from St. Luke’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Watertown will be officiating.  Interment will follow at Hustisford Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Heritage Homes in Watertown, or to either Bethany Ev. Lutheran Church or St. Luke’s Ev. Lutheran Church, or a charity of one’s choice in the name of Carol Nehls.

The Berndt-Ledesma Funeral Home – Hustisford is serving the family.

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