Caryl Dukes

Caryl Maxine Dukes, 87, was received into Heaven Saturday evening, Oct. 24, 2026. She took her last earthly breath at Brio in Johnston, after spending her final days surrounded by the love of many family and friends.

Caryl was born on Aug. 6, 1939, to Harold and Margaret Taylor near Tingley. Two years later, the family moved to a farm south of Diagonal, where Caryl spent her childhood. She attended Siloam #9, a country school just over the hill, and was a faithful helper to her dad in the daily work of the farm. Growing up, she was active in 4-H and the local United Methodist Church, where she was baptized and confirmed.

She attended Diagonal High School, where she was known in the hallways as a bubbly cheerleader and first-chair clarinetist. This extroverted girl with a contagious zest for life captured the attention of a bashful farm boy named Philip Dukes. Their first date: a Sunday afternoon BBQ. And the rest is history. Caryl and Phil were united in marriage on July 19, 1959, and she was Phil’s “Little Woman” for her whole life.

Caryl attended Iowa State College for a year and worked at Meredith Publishing Co. in Des Moines for a year. After marriage, Caryl and Phil lived in Jewell, Mount Pleasant and Donnellson, before moving to Marathon in 1969. Together, they raised their four children: Juliann, Lynda, Jennifer and John. As a stay-at-home mom, Caryl poured her heart into making a home for her family, raising her children, and cheering them on in their activities. She also believed a clean house was a happy house and could wield a dustrag with unmatched determination.

Mama D, as she was affectionately known to thousands of people, never knew a stranger. Within a matter of minutes of making your acquaintance, she would know the names of your next of kin and the finer details of your life story. Without even really trying, she could unlock your deepest-held secrets and become your accidental therapist, all while making you laugh longer and louder than you had in a very long time. Even in her later years, as a woman who endured many health struggles, she managed to touch the hearts of her nurses and caregivers, many of whom shed tears when it was time to say goodbye. They came into her room to care for her but often left feeling she had cared for them, too.

Caryl’s life had a continual soundtrack, whether it was a Sweet Adelines tune, a church choir arrangement, or an old favorite song sung with friends around the piano. She especially loved singing Gaither tunes at church gatherings with two dear friends in a group called The Trio.

Caryl was a faithful follower of God and worshiped at many beloved churches, including United Methodist Church in Marathon, where she was a choir member, Sunday school teacher and UMW president for many years. She also attended the Honolua United Methodist Church in Maui, the Longville (MN) Community Church, and the Good News Community Church in Okoboji.

Caryl embraced her role as Mema to seven grandchildren. She always had a bag full of Beanie Babies in the trunk for the grandkids, 12 different kinds of sugared cereal in the pantry, and her famous banana bread in the freezer. Her grandkids loved slumber parties on her bedroom floor, pontoon rides on Mule Lake, and trips to see Mickey and Minnie in Florida. Along the way, she became “Mema” to many of her grandkids’ friends, too. She was fiercely proud of her grandchildren and thoroughly enjoyed stalking them on Life 360.

One of Caryl’s greatest joys was the bond she shared with Phil — a bond that became more precious with the passing years. They were golf partners, hand-holders, world travelers, and each others’ pillar of support during the trials of life.

A few fun facts about Caryl:

She was a regular in the aisles of Hallmark stores, and she had drawers full of greeting cards to prove it.

Caryl was a social butterfly. She was the first person to turn a grocery-store errand into a two-hour conversation … and the last person to leave the church on a Sunday.

You could send a card to Caryl addressed simply to “Mama D, Marathon, Iowa, 50565” and it would get to her. No street address or PO Box required.

Caryl was a notorious prankster, armed with fake car-scratch stickers, phony hamburger patties, and a realistic-looking tomato she’d sneak onto a neighbor’s vine, just to convince them they’d grown the first ripe tomato of the season.

She loved Cyclone sports games, doing laundry (yes, really), “warshing the deeshes,” and composing essay-length text messages to friends and family.

In later years, Caryl slept with a stuffed Jesus doll, holding close a reminder of the Savior she would one day see face to face.

Caryl’s home-going includes a Farewell Tour.

First stop on the Farewell Tour: The family will greet friends at the Community Center in Marathon from 4-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Second stop: The family will greet friends at the United Church of Diagonal from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, at the United Church of Diagonal. Her final “dirt nap” — as Phil and Caryl would lovingly call their final resting places — will take place at the Diagonal Cemetery.

Caryl will be dearly missed by daughter Juliann (Mark) Walter and their children, Brennan and Rachel; Lynda (Mike) Dukes Franey and their son, Payton; Jennifer (Scott) Lee and their children, Lydia (fiancé Ewan Barrett) and Anna; John (Lisa) Dukes and their children, Josie and John Taylor; sisters, Helen Mae and Barb; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and innumerable friends whose lives she touched. 

Caryl was preceded in her heavenly homegoing by her husband of 63 years; her parents; sister Darlene; and brother John.

Caryl’s grandchildren will serve as pallbearers — or, as Caryl called them, “polar bears.” Honorary pallbearers are “everyone here who loved her.”

Alongside her husband, Caryl was generous with her time and finances, donating to many organizations. Memorial contributions will be made to a few of the charities dearest to her heart.

In her honor, be like Caryl. Do something extraordinarily kind for someone today. Send a card. Befriend a stranger. Listen, truly listen, to the heart of another.

Or just pull a prank.