Carol Elizabeth (Jordan) Altenbern

Carol Elizabeth (Jordan) Altenbern, 95, a long-time resident of Dubuque and Asbury, Iowa, died peacefully on January 24, 2026, in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Her husband, John Edward (Ed) Altenbern, passed away in 1995. She is survived by her three children, Anita Pesses (Mark) of Fairfax Station, Virginia; John Altenbern (Sandra) of West Des Moines, Iowa, and Claudine Altenbern of Hinsdale, Illinois, along with seven grandchildren:  Sarah (Pesses) Hash, Jordan (Pesses) Lieberman, Andrew Altenbern, Caroline (Altenbern) Schweitzer, Jacqueline Roberts, Julianne Altenbern, and Jake Roberts. She also had six great-grandchildren. Her four brothers and a sister preceded her in death.

Carol was born December 21,1930 in Winterset, Iowa. She was truly the “Christmas Carol.”  She was the youngest of six children born to Daisy Elizabeth (Neely) and Forrest Jordan. Her siblings played a large role in her upbringing on the Depression-era family farm, especially after her mother died just as Carol turned 10 years old.

Skipping one grade while attending a one-room elementary school and another when she moved to “town school”, Carol graduated from Winterset High School in 1947 and at age 16, she went to the University of Iowa.  Carol met Navy vet Ed Altenbern in a registration line for her pharmacy classes. They married on December 20, 1950, during a blizzard and together they both completed pharmacy degrees in 1951. Ed often said if he hadn’t met Carol, he might never have passed Organic Chemistry.  She never corrected him.

What followed was a great partnership that led them to live and work in Dubuque, Kalispell, Montana, Green Bay, Wisconsin and then return to Dubuque.  She was a devoted mom, caring for her family in ways she herself had missed out on as a child. While Ed worked as a sales representative for Eli Lilly, Carol kept the household on track and took pride in the accomplishments of her children. She was an active member of First Congregational Church in Dubuque and P.E.O., as well as a Girl Scout leader and PTA officer.  She quietly showed up to help others. Carol was a great cook who rarely used recipes, solved homework problems while still helping you learn the subject, devoured books and could sum up most situations with wry humor. Children and dogs loved her, and she loved them back.  Independent and always optimistic, she stayed in her home for nearly 30 years after Ed’s passing. At age 80 she stopped going up on the roof but kept washing windows on a ladder.  Under protest she moved to West Des Moines to be near family in 2021 and was self-reliant until nearly the end.

A private family memorial will be held in Dubuque later in the year.  She will be laid to rest at Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque.