Charlotte Rose (Fasnacht) Di Pasquale

Charlotte Rose (Fasnacht) Di Pasquale passed away peacefully on February 10, 2017 in Oak Park, CA.

Visitation and Rosary at Mankato Mortuary, 1001 N Riverfront Dr., Mankato, MN from 3:00-6:00 PM on Sunday, February 19. Funeral Mass at 10:00 AM on Monday, February 20 at All Saints Church, Madison Lake, MN with Rosary and Visitation beginning at 9:00 AM. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery, Madison Lake.

Charlotte was born on March 13, 1926 in Mankato, Blue Earth County, MN. She was the first of three daughters born to Theresa (Klaseus) Fasnacht and Paul Fasnacht of Madison Lake, MN. Charlotte grew up in Madison Lake with her sisters Edith and Sylvia; all three of them were athletic young women who enjoyed swimming, ice skating, fishing, softball, and other sports. They worked hard weeding their mother’s beautiful vegetable gardens and selling the produce to well-to-do folks; they learned from their mother and father both the joys of fruitful labor and open-hearted kindness that welcomed everyone in need. Charlotte had a remarkable alto voice, and she, Edith, and Sylvia formed a singing trio—the Terry Sisters, named for their mother Theresa—who performed professionally around the upper Midwest region.

Charlotte was educated at All Saints Catholic School, Madison Lake; Franklin Junior High School, Mankato Senior High School, and Mankato Commercial College. She went on to become a secretary in Mankato and then—to everyone’s surprise—decided to move out to California to seek her destiny.

In Hollywood, Charlotte became the executive secretary to the president of Riker Laboratories, which was a division of Rexall Drug Company; she drove a beautiful chartreuse convertible with a black leather interior that she remembered fondly for the rest of her life. Picture that lovely raven-haired young woman with her rhinestone cat-glasses driving around the Hollywood of the early 1950s! But neither success in business nor the glamor of Southern California was enough for Charlotte. She sought to live a life of service, and her faith and courage knew no bounds. She joined the newly founded Lay Mission-Helpers of Los Angeles and was assigned to a position in Mwanza, Tanganyika (now Tanzania). In 1958, she learned Swahili and traveled to Tanganyika, where she worked with the White Fathers and White Sisters of Africa (now the Missionaries of Africa), ran a Catholic bookstore, taught English, and shot a collection of stunning photographs that artfully record the people, places, fishing boats, buildings, animals, and landscapes of East Africa.

While working in Mwanza, she met and was formally betrothed to a young English teacher—a Notre Dame and Oxford graduate and former Marine from Somerville, MA—Pasquale Di Pasquale, Jr. They returned to the United States in 1961 and were married on August 12, 1961 in Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Mankato, MN. In the years that followed, they were blessed with three daughters, and Charlotte served as a devoted homemaker and parent in all of the many places around the United States where the family lived as Pat pursued his career as an English Professor and College President. During the late 1960s, she took care of her aging father, who came to live with the family in Eugene, Oregon, after the death of Charlotte’s mother.

For twenty years (1972-1992), Charlotte served in the role of President’s Spouse at four Catholic institutions of higher learning: Assumption College, Worcester, MA (1972-77); Loras College, Dubuque, IA (1977-87); St. Thomas University, Miami, FL (1987-88); and College Misericordia, Dallas, PA (1989-92). Throughout these years, Charlotte served in many civic and religious organizations; she was a member of the Assumption College Volunteers and of the choir of Christ the King Parish (Worcester, MA); a Parish Council member and Secretary of the Council for Nativity Parish (Dubuque, IA), where she was also a member of the choir; a member of the Board of Directors for Stonehill Care Center and co-founder of the Stonehill Auxiliary and Quilting Groups (Dubuque, IA); board member, Luzerne County Children’s and Youth Advisory Group (Wilkes-Barre, PA); and lector, commentator, welcoming committee member, and office volunteer for St. Francis de Sales Parish in Tucson, AZ, where Pat and Charlotte moved after retiring in 1994. She also sang in the requiem choir for funeral masses at St. Francis de Sales and, with Pat, regularly volunteered for the Notre Dame Club of Tucson’s "Christmas in April" program. After Pat’s death in 2004, Charlotte lived for many years with her daughter Catherine, son-in-law Tim, and grandsons Joe and John, who cared lovingly for her through a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Charlotte never lost her gentle disposition, her sweet tooth, or her witty sense of humor. She was at home during her final days and passed away peacefully in her own room, with Catherine by her side.

Charlotte was recognized as an Honorary Alumna of Assumption College (Worcester, MA) in October 1977; received Recognition for Outstanding Service to Stonehill Care Center (Dubuque, IA) in 1987; and was honored with a Recognition Citation from Seton Hill College (Greensburg, PA) in September, 1994. October 7, 2001 marked her investiture in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem: Lady Charlotte Rose Di Pasquale, LHS.

She is preceded in death by her parents Paul and Theresa (Klaseus) Fasnacht and by her husband Pasquale Di Pasquale, Jr. She is survived by her sisters—Edith Dauk of Mankato, MN and Sylvia Schneider of Portland, OR—and by three loving daughters, three sons-in-law, and five grandchildren: Theresa Maria Di Pasquale, her husband Lee P. Keene, and their son Dominic Jude Di Pasquale Keene of Walla Walla, WA; Catherine Siena Di Pasquale Conroy, her husband Timothy J. Conroy, and their sons Joseph Pasquale Conroy and John Luke Conroy of Oak Park, CA; and Maria Elena Di Pasquale, her husband Arnold J. Phifer, and their daughters Lucrezia Rose Di Pasquale Phifer and Elena Kateri Di Pasquale Phifer of Granger, IN. All of us will remember her as a truly loving and devoted wife, mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother who modeled for us all the divinely-given virtues of faith, love, and charity. May she rest in peace, and may perpetual light shine upon her.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Charlotte make a contribution in her name to the Lay Mission-Helpers (www.laymissionhelpers.org; attn: Janice England, 3435 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1940, Los Angeles, CA 90010) or to the charitable organization of their choice.