Carlean Mae Stern was born a twin on March 30, 1937 to Eddie and Alta (Burdick) Nordstrom at Winner, South Dakota. She and her twin brother Carl, had an older brother, Edward, and a younger brother, Robert. She left to go to her heavenly home on June 13, at the Winner Regional Health Care Facility at Winner, South Dakota at the age of 80.
Most of her young life, she lived on a farm east of Winner. On Dec. 29, 1961, she married Gene Stern of Johnstown, Nebraska. After their marriage, they lived in Ainsworth, Nebraska. Later, they moved to Johnstown, Nebraska and resided on a farm northeast of Johnstown. They farmed and raised many hogs. In May of 2005, she lost her husband Gene. Later, she moved to Winner, South Dakota. When she broke her hip, she moved into the Winner Regional Long Term Care Center and later to the Golden Prairie Manor, where she lived a couple of years. When her health failed, she moved back into the Winner Long Term Care Center for the last couple of weeks of her life.