Obituary of Carl Ferdinand Braafladt

Carl Ferdinand Braafladt

Carl Ferdinand Braafladt, formerly of Duluth, Minnesota passed away on June 3, 2020 at New Perspective Senior Living in St. Paul, MN. Carl was born in Cloquet, MN on August 25, 1934 and spent his childhood there with his parents and older brother Ted.  Following high school, he entered the U.S. Army and served in Nancy, France in the Quartermaster Corp.  After his Honorable Discharge from the Army, Carl took advantage of the G.I. Bill to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a teaching certificate from the University of Minnesota Duluth.  There, amidst the stacks in the library, Carl met his lifelong love, librarian Mary Ellen Trudelle. They married on March 22, 1958.

Carl and his wife, Mary Ellen raised four children in Duluth and took their family on wonderful camping road trips every summer to many parts of the country including New York, Missouri, the Dakotas, and an epic five week long drive to and from Alaska in 1973.  After the children started forging their own lives and families, Carl and Mary Ellen built a beautiful rustic cabin themselves, with the help of family and  friends, on Greenwood Lake, just off the Gunflint Trail west of Grand Marais, MN.

Carl was an English teacher at Woodland Junior High in Duluth for 25 years and then taught English at Duluth East High School for the remainder of his teaching career. Carl loved his work and his unique teaching style and large handlebar mustache made a lasting impact on thousands of young Duluthians. Carl’s most famous phrase for his students was “be specific”. Carl had a life-long interest in collecting guns, swords, and knives and many other items and often sold these items from a table at state-wide gun and knife shows. Carl loved reading and accumulating knowledge, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. His other passion was art, photography and collecting Leica cameras.

After retirement, Carl and Mary Ellen travelled to Shanghai, China in 1995 and they taught English there for 10 months.

Carl was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Astrid Braafladt, his wife Mary Ellen (of ALS), his brother Theodore (Ted) Braafladt, and his son Charles (Chad) Braafladt.

He is survived by three children: Louis Braaflaldt (Anita) in Palm Shores, Florida; Keith Braafladt (Debra Banks) in Minneapolis; and Laura Braafladt (Steve Bell) from Denver, Colorado.  His grandchildren include the children of Louis and Anita - Sarah Braafladt (Ian Riley) and Carl Braafladt; the children of Charles Braafladt (Mary McClernon) - Katarina Braafladt, Alexander Braafladt, Signe Braafladt, Luke Braafladt, Lily Braafladt; the children of Keith and Debra - Jackson Braafladt-Banks (Renee Thomas) and Sylvia Braafladt-Banks (Dave Nash); and the children of Laura Braafladt (Steve Bell) - Jordan Teller (Doug), Lauren Bell (Jachin Rutte), Annika Bell, and Olivia Bell. His great-grandchildren include Aulden Teller, Meredith Teller, and Levi James Braafladt-Banks.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be an online celebration of life on July 2nd  at 5:00 pm CST. Burial will be at a later date in Calvary Cemetery Duluth. Letters of condolence can be sent in care of Keith Braafladt, 4741 Oakland Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55407.

The online memorial for Carl Braafladt on the Zoom video conference service is

July 2nd at 5:00 - 6:30 PM CST.

This is a public memorial that is open to family and friends. You can use a computer, tablet or smartphone to join the memorial. The link to this memorial is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81974237684

Please email Keith if you have questions about how to join the memorial at keith.braafladt@gmail.com