Carolyn Joy (Claussen) Mollers, 90, died Monday, July 13, 2026, in Missoula, Montana.

Carolyn was born in Carroll, Iowa, on April 26, 1936, to Joyce and Melbourne Claussen. She grew up in Storm Lake, Iowa, and graduated from Buena Vista University with a BA in Speech and English. She later earned an MA in Communication from the University of South Dakota. She married Mark J. Mollers on September 8, 1959.

Carolyn enjoyed teaching at South Dakota State University, Arlington High School, and Rapid City High School for a number of years. Later, she found great satisfaction in helping with the family automobile business and in her many civic activities. She was active in the First Presbyterian Church, AAUW, the Rapid City Concert Association, the South Dakota Humanities Foundation, Rushmore Rotary, and the Mount Rushmore Society and its Preservation Fund Committee.

Carolyn worked at Mount Rushmore as a college girl and fell in love with the Memorial and the Black Hills. She was grateful to spend much of her later life in Rapid City and treasured many wonderful experiences throughout the area. In later years, she and her husband spent winters in Naples, Florida, where they made many happy memories with friends. Finally, they chose to make their home in Missoula, Montana, close to their oldest daughter and the families of their three grandsons.

Carolyn will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She is survived by her husband, Mark Mollers; daughters Catherine Mollers and Cari Lynn (Patrick) Verlanic; grandsons Alex (Noelle) Verlanic, Andrew (Tina) Verlanic, and Connor (Haley) Verlanic; three great-grandchildren; and her sister, Marolyn McDiarmid, and her family.

Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home.

Interment will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery.

A memorial has been established to the Mount Rushmore Society. You can donate online at https://mountrushmoresociety.com/donate/honorgift/ or by mail at 830 Main Street, Rapid City, SD 57701.