Carol Replogle Nielsen of Grinnell, Iowa passed away at the Mayflower Home on August 6, 2018, after a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. No services are planned. Burial will be held at a later date in Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Memorial contributions may be directed to Carol Replogle Nielsen'56 Preschool Laboratory Fund and mailed to Grinnell College, Development and Alumni Relations, 733 Broad Street, Grinnell, Iowa 50112 or to the Mayflower Human Needs Endowment Fund, In Memory of Carol Nielsen and mailed to Mayflower Community, P.O. Box 344, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Carol was born on July 13, 1934 in Chicago, IL to Fred and Georgia Miller Replogle. The family, which also included her older brother Justin, lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Chicago, before settling in Flossmoor, IL. Carol graduated from the University of Chicago Lab School (1950) and Bloom High School (1952). She attended Grinnell College, graduating in 1956. It was there that she met her future husband Christian T. Nielsen. They were married in 1957, and had three sons: Scott (Chicago), Peter (Falls Church, VA), and David (St Paul, MN). After living in the Chicago area for the next 10 years, the family moved to Grinnell in 1967. In 1970, she became the first director of the Grinnell College Preschool, which she led until 1997, when she retired. Carol was active in the community, serving on the Grinnell School Board, the Grinnell Museum Board, the Grinnell Affordable Housing Board, and with the League of Women Voters. Since coming to Grinnell she was also an active member of the United Church of Christ. Carol had many friends in Grinnell and around the country, including dozens of former Grinnell College students who worked with her in the preschool through the years and who continued to stay in touch. For more than 60 years she and 14 of her "Round Robin" friends – all Grinnell College classmates -- stayed in close and continuous communication, often taking annual trips together. Carol loved to read, travel, discuss politics and current affairs, play board games, was an avid tennis player, and was a life-long and passionate Chicago Cubs fan. Carol was preceded in death by her parents and her brother. She is survived by Scott and daughter in law Adriana, Peter, and David.