Carolyn “Carrie” Jean Hochhausen

CASSVILLE – Carolyn “Carrie” Jean Hochhausen, age 77, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, July 29, 2023 surrounded by her loved ones, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born on December 27, 1945, in Prairie du Chien; the daughter of Lawrence and Bertha (Hendrichs) Mergen. She grew up on the family farm in Bloomington where she enjoyed riding horses and showing her cows at various county fairs. Carrie attended St. Mary’s Elementary School in Bloomington and graduated from Bloomington High School in 1964. After graduation she moved to Cassville, where she started working at Rapid Die & Molding, and later became a supervisor.

Carrie met the love of her life, Bill Hochausen, in Cassville, and they were married on June 3, 1967. Carrie and Bill enjoyed many trips together, including the Black Hills, Yellowstone, and many summer fishing trips to northern Wisconsin and Canada. She enjoyed the outdoors and loved to fish year-round. Carrie had a knack for catching fish and often out fished anyone that was with her. She also enjoyed coon hunting, morel mushroom hunting, camping on the river, waterskiing, and pitching softball. She won many bean bag tournaments and was an outstanding bowler.

On their three-acre property, Carrie had a passion for gardening, canning vegetables, raising beef cows, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and rabbits. After raising her three children, she worked more than 20 years driving school bus and working in the Cassville elementary school cafeteria. She also enjoyed working the Cassville polling booths on election day. Carrie was proud of her over 30 years of blood donation.

Carrie is survived by her loving husband of 56 years, Bill; 3 children: Dale (Lori) Hochhausen, Steven (Shelly Arnett) Hochhausen, and Jill (Bill) Buechner; 2 grandchildren, Carter and Ashlynn Buechner; and 7 siblings: Francis (Suzanne) Mergen, Doris Vesperman, Rita Ley, Charlene (Norbert) Schildgen, her twin Marilyn Dalton, Janet (Roger) Graney, and Evie McCann. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers in-law, Lawrence Ley and Jake Versperman.