Carol Kusler

Dates

Obituary

Carol Kusler, 82, of Mitchell, SD, passed away Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Mitchell. Visitation will be on Tuesday, June 17, from 5-7:00 PM at Bittner Funeral Chapel.

Carol Ann Kusler was born November 29, 1942, to Alfred (Bud) and Lois Cooper in Mitchell, SD. Carol grew up as the oldest sister to her three siblings. Brother Alfred (Bud) Cooper Jr., sister Linda Maciej, and youngest brother Louis (Louie) Cooper. Carol attended schools in Mitchell, SD, up to her high school graduation. She married Jim (James) Lawrence and had three children. Teresa (Terri) Kaye Lawrence, James (Jim) Douglas Lawrence, & Michael (Mike) Joseph Lawrence. She later married Layton Kusler and, with open arms, accepted another daughter, Kelly Sue Kusler/ Schoenfelder, into the family. Later, Lee and Carol brought a beautiful daughter into the world, but unfortunately, Lana Lee Kusler was lost to the heavens far too soon. Lastly, Lisa Ann Kusler/ Hepner was the final child added to Carol’s family.

Even with five children in her own home, she always found time to send love and joy to her family and friends, no matter how far away they were. A handwritten letter (not quite a short story), with the most elegant cursive writing, or a card for almost any occasion. If you received a card, it would always have Carol's “Extra Touches” added. You would know who it was from, well before you ever got it completely out of the mailbox. It became something to look forward to and will be one of the “little things” that we’ll all miss. The cards were only outdone by her selfless giving and decorating for the Holidays. There was no Christmas, like a Christmas at Carol's. She was a member of multiple bowling leagues, which she loved to participate in, and decided she was NOT too old to continue playing softball. She ended up being inducted into the SD Sports Hall of Fame after attending the US Nationals and pitching women’s softball at the age of 50+. Needless to say, “Two-Niner” was not the youngest player on that team. Another pastime that Carol loved was baking. Her original chocolate chip cookies, chocolate zucchini cake, sour cream cupcakes, banana trifle dessert, ginger snaps, or any of her made-to-order cakes would have made today's baking competition winners look like rookies. She may have been the last to accept the new ways of the cell phone, but once she got one in hand, it was used very regularly. If you called her for a quick question, you’d better have half an hour set aside for the conversation.

Carol worked several part-time jobs throughout her lifetime, in addition to a few main jobs. She worked for an attorney in Mitchell, then went off to Herter’s, the old sporting goods company. She then worked at Krall Eye Clinic for many years, where she was a Vision Therapist and then the Lab Manager. She put time in at Ben Franklin managing the framing department, and lastly, she went to work at Edgewood Assisted Living, where she cared for the residents right up to the day of her passing. Her passion for putting others before herself was evident right to the end. She was known as a selfless giver of her time, talents, and mostly of her never-ending love.

She is survived by her daughter, Teresa “Terri” K. Lawrence of Mitchell; daughter, Kelly S. Schoenfelder of Aurora, NE; son, James “Jim” D. Lawrence of Mitchell; son, Michael “Mike” J. Lawrence & wife Lisa of Mitchell; daughter, Lisa A. Hepner of Colorado Springs, CO; sister-in-law, Liz Cooper of Mitchell; sister, Linda Maciej and husband Don of Royalton, MN; brother, Louis “Louie” Cooper and wife Laurie of Mitchell.

Carol is also survived by 13 grandchildren: Anna, Gina, Melissa, Jammie, Amber, Brittany, Alisha, Tyler, Lindsey, Spencer, Kayla, Jade & Elliott, and her 24 great-grandkids: Cameron, Harper, Coen, Syona, Aavan, Emerson, Lydia, Mylo, Dillon, Shawn, Ryan, Kara, Kierrah, Kendall, Houston, Tayven, Ayiona, Journey, Layton, Welles, Pierce, Lillyanna, Madilynn, and Piper.

Carol was preceded in death by her daughter, Lana Lee Kusler; father, Alfred (Bud) Cooper Sr.; mother, Lois Cooper; brother, Alfred (Bud) Cooper Jr.; and one son-in-law, Roger Schoenfelder, in addition to countless aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Following the visitation, we will be gathering at Thirstys for continued conversation, stories, and some light food. Thank you for being in Carol's life; if you were part of it, you were loved.

Visitation(s)