Carlene J. Thompson

Carlene J. Thompson, 28, of Holmen, passed away on Friday, May 8, 2026. She was born on September 23, 1997, to Gary Isensee and Patrice Zietlow.

Carlene was the kind of person who left pieces of light behind wherever she went. She had a smile that could soften even the hardest days, and a laugh that made everyone around her feel alive for a moment. There was something so beautiful about the way she existed in the world – gentle yet unforgettable. She carried so much love inside of her even when life felt heavy.

It is impossible to understand how someone so full of warmth could leave this world before she truly had the chance to live the life that she deserved. There were still so many dreams waiting for her, so many memories left unmade, and so many chapters that should have stretched far beyond where her story ended. Her life feels like a song that stopped in the middle of the most beautiful verse, and we will never get to hear how it ends.

And yet, even though she is gone, she doesn’t feel far away. She is in the quiet moments. She is in that feeling you get when you gaze across a field of sunflowers. She is in the embers that dance in the sky above a fire. She is in the song that suddenly makes our heart ache. She is in the sunsets that are too beautiful not to mean something. Her soul lingers in the spaces she once filled with love, laughter, and her unmistakable presence.

The pain of losing her is immeasurable because our love for her was immeasurable too. Some people leave footprints behind, but Carlene left pieces of herself in the hearts of everyone who was lucky enough to know her. Nothing can erase that. Not time. Not distance. Not even death itself.

Carlene was beautiful in ways that words will never fully capture. And though her time here was far too short, the love she gave to all of us will echo through our lives and the lives of those she touched forever and always.

Carlene is survived by her husband, Austin Thompson; parents, Gary (Mary) Isensee, and Patrice Zietlow; Pauline Kolbo (who was like a mother to Carlene); siblings, Alex Leuck, Derek (Alayna) McDonald, Nick (Angie) McDonald, and Desarae Isensee; nieces and nephews, Delilah, Mackenzie, Savannah, and Bryce, Gavin, and Olivia; in-laws, Carole Schumacher, Elvera Hollibaugh, Jamie (Tara) Thompson and their children, Ashton and Everest; and many other aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who loved and were loved by Carlene.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Donnell and Patricia Zietlow; and paternal grandparents, Bob and Margaret Isensee; as well as her beloved cat, Twinkie.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Gary Isensee’s home, 7013 Hamlet Ave, Sparta, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Family will gather privately from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., and open to all others starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. Online condolences may be offered at www.schanhoferfh.com.

Lanham-Schanhofer Funeral Home and Cremation, Sparta, is assisting the family with arrangements.

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