Carol L Claassen

Carol Penner Claassen was welcomed into the world on June 29, 1933, by her parents Daniel and Marie (Boese) Penner and older brothers Don and Joe. Carol spent her childhood on farms in both the Burrton and Halstead communities. Their home near Halstead was bordered by a busy set of railroad tracks. Carol often spoke of “ghost trains” running without lights during World War II and hobos who jumped off the train to enjoy a meal offered by her mother on their front porch during the lean years of the Great Depression. Although resources were scarce, Carol’s mother never turned anyone away. This boundless generosity impressed Carol, so she determined to live her own life the same way.

Carol attended two rural one-room schools, Prairie Bell and Harmony, until 8th grade. During those years, Carol developed her love for reading and her passion for sewing. Her first project was a pair of pants made from feedsack fabric using a pattern her mother drafted on newspaper. Since the Penners were also a musical family, Carol learned to play the piano. One of her warmest memories was sitting next to her brother Don on the piano bench, playing duets together in the evenings at home.

Carol attended her first two years of high school at Oklahoma Bible Academy in Meno, Oklahoma, followed by two years at Berean Academy in Elbing, Kansas. Because she was sent so far from home, she was forced to adapt to dormitory life and developed a social personality, allowing her to make friends easily. At Berean, Carol was delighted to discover that six other girls in her small class all shared June birthdays with her. What else should be done but form an elite club known as the June Bugs? They celebrated their birthdays together almost every June for the remainder of their lives. Also, while at Berean, Carol met the love of her life, Olin, whom she would marry on April 9, 1955, once she had completed her Bethel Deaconess Hospital Nurses’ Training program.

Carol and Olin spent their first year of marriage living in Kansas City where she worked as a nurse at Kansas University Medical Center. The next spring, Olin and Carol moved back to Whitewater and Olin’s family farm. Carol took a job at the medical clinic in Potwin as the nurse in charge until the clinic closed in the early 1960s. Her role was to see patients and make house calls for the doctor from Newton who only traveled to Potwin once or twice a week. Carol was considered the community health worker on call for many years to follow and often attended to anyone who had a medical emergency or needed a consultation before making the decision to drive into town to the hospital.

Carol embraced her roles as mother, bookkeeper, organizer and the glue that held the family farm together. She deserved much of the credit for the Claassen family being named the 1973 American Royal Kansas Farm Family of the Year. However, Carol viewed her children as her life’s greatest achievement and threw herself into developing their creative outlets. Carol was born with a curious nature and enjoyed spending any time she could turning her children’s whims into reality.

Once their three sons began leaving for college, Olin and Carol hosted several Polish agricultural trainees through Mennonite Central Committee to help with farm work between 1974 and 1978. Carol recalled in later years that she was a reluctant partner in this endeavor as it was all Olin’s idea, but she also admitted that she reaped far more rewards through these relationships than she could have ever imagined, grateful she had given it a try. In 1996, another opportunity fell into their laps—hosting a 14-year-old Russian foreign exchange student, Vladimir Yevseyenkov, who would become Olin and Carol’s “bonus son,” enriching the Claassen family beyond measure.

Carol led a life of service through church and community involvement. In addition to teaching Sunday school and coordinating Wednesday night children’s programming for many years, she was a member of her local Extension Homemakers’ Unit, 4-H Community Club Leader, Butler County Extension Board Member, as well as served on the Bethel Deaconess Hospital Board of Directors. Her final volunteer effort was to provide health and language education for the Old Colony Mennonites who had immigrated to Southcentral Kansas as agriculture workers. Even though Olin and Carol never truly retired from farming or volunteer work, they were able to carve out time to take several trips to Europe and counted these experiences as life changing.

Carol dedicated her years to passing along her faith to her children and grandchildren. Every personal story she told them was meant to teach a spiritual lesson of hope and generosity. Her final words on this earth were spoken in prayer to Jesus.

Carol is survived by her children Doug (Katherine) of Whitewater, Greg (Elizabeth) of Whitewater, Kim (Debbie) of Whitewater and Kristine (Carl) Goossen of Potwin; grandchildren Brittany (Jared) Burns, Courtney (Adrian) Nethercot, Cody Claassen, Cole (Jennifer) Claassen, Andrew Claassen, Emilee (Joel) Stucky, Abigail (Drew) Rooks, Camille Claassen (fiancé Jonathan Kientz), Samantha (Todd) Graber, Grant (Paige) Claassen, Lucas (Shayla) Goossen, Paul (Anna) Goossen, and Renata Goossen; great grandchildren Colton, Beckham, Judah, Eloise, Blaes, Taya, Paige, Morgan, Jordy, Andi, and Griffin; bonus son Vladimir Yevseyenkov; and many nieces and nephews. Carol went to be with her Lord at the age of 91 on Sunday, April 13, 2025. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband and brothers, Don Penner and Joe Penner. Her family will gather with friends on Monday, April 21, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. at Lamb Funeral Home, Whitewater. She will be laid to rest in the Old Emmaus Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Carol’s funeral service will also be held on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Grace Hill Mennonite Church, Whitewater. Memorial contributions in her name may be directed to the Mennonite Central Committee and Wheat State Manor. Please sign her online guestbook and leave a memory of Carol at www.yazelmeglifh.com.