Karol Fritz, age 63 of Grinnell, died on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at Grinnell Health Care Center. A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, October 30, 2020 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Grinnell with Fr. Ross Epping presiding. A face mask will be required for those attending the service. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Visitation with the family present will be held from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm on Thursday, October 29th at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. A face mask will be required for those attending the visitation. Memorial contributions may be designated to CIRSI (Central Iowa Residential Services) and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Karol's family online at www.smithfh.com. Karol Jean Fritz was born the daughter of Tazwell Wright Fritz and Jeanne Francis (Harrington) Fritz on December 14, 1956 in Jackson, Michigan. She was raised and educated in Jackson. Karol was joined in marriage to Joseph E Melman in 1975 in Jackson, MI were they resided until 1989. While in Jackson she worked as a kitchen aide in a local restaurant. Karol moved to Grinnell, IA in 1995 where she went to work at Walmart for several years before joining the housekeeping staff at Grinnell Regional Medical Center. Karol resided in Grinnell and was a longtime employee at Grinnell Regional Medical Center. She was devoted member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Grinnell. She loved spending time with family, volunteering at the Mayflower nursing home, church events and participating in the church choir. She also liked participating in the CROP hunger walk, long walks and spending time at the Senior Center playing bingo. Karol is survived by her daughters, Susan Rupe of Grinnell and Elizabeth Dyer (Charlie) of Rock Creek Lake, rural Grinnell; 7 grandchildren; 2 great grandchildren; and her siblings, Ken (Teresa) Fritz and Kim (LeRoy) Hilliker, both of Jackson, Michigan, and Kirk (Mary Anne) Fritz of Hanover, Michigan; and sisters, Laura (Geoff) Snyder and Lezley (Jamie) Roth. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Melman; her sister, Kathy Fritz; and her parents.