Obituary of Carol Ann Braaten

Carol Ann Braaten (Ahlgren) was born on October 6^th 1948 in Minot, ND to Carl “Art” Ahlgren and Marie Ahlgren (Maloney).  The family lived in Parshall, ND where Art was a mechanic and Marie taught school.  The family then moved to Stanley, ND where Carol went to school and graduated from Stanley High School in 1966.

 After high school Carol attended North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND where she majored in Home Economics and graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in 1970.  Carol loved her time at NDSU where she made lifelong friends, enjoyed her studies, became a devoted fan of the NDSU Bison football team, and even participated in the Zip to Zap event in 1969.  After graduating from NDSU she went back to school at Minot State University and received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1972. Carol began student teaching in New Town, ND in the spring of 1972 and was hired as a full time teacher to begin the following school year.  Unbeknownst to her a new elementary principal was also hired to begin in the fall of 1972 – Ron Braaten, Carol’s future husband.  Ron and Carol met in August 1972 and were married a year later on August 3^rd, 1973 in Stanley ND.  Ron was the love of Carol’s life, her best friend, and her loving companion until the end.  Ron and Carol’s three children were all born while they were living in New Town and Carol was a devoted mother and wife raising her children to be confident, compassionate, and caring just as she was. 

Carol ended up teaching third grade in New Town for 23 years teaching hundreds of students and helping them develop their passions while instilling in them the confidence to overcome any obstacles that prevented their learning.  Carol loved working with kids and would reminisce well after she had retired about all the many students she taught and she even kept a scrapbook with pictures of all of her third grade classes.  Ron and Carol made many wonderful friends in New Town so it was hard for them to leave but when Ron received a job offer to become the principal in Lisbon, ND; the family moved there in 1995.  Since there was not an open teaching position in Lisbon, Carol went back to school at Minnesota State – Moorhead in Moorhead, MN and received a certification to become a reading teacher.  Carol then got a job with South Valley Special Education Unit which is a multi-county support program for public schools.  With this job Carol traveled to multiple school districts including Lisbon, Ft. Ransom, Enderlin, Sheldon, and McLeod where she primarily worked with students to improve their reading skills.  Carol thrived in this job as it combined two of her great passions – teaching and reading.  Carol worked with South Valley until 2007 when she joined Ron in retirement.

In retirement Ron and Carol enjoyed traveling.  They took trips to Washington D.C., Seattle, Florida, California, and Texas.  They even enjoyed a two week trip to Europe to see their son Nick where they visited Luxembourg, Germany, France, and Belgium.  Carol loved to read and had a goal of reading every novel that won the Pulitzer Prize.  She also loved to do puzzles, particularly jigsaw puzzles and suduko which she would fill out in pencil and erase her answers and fill out again.  Throughout her life and continuing into retirement, Carol was active in the community.  She was an active supporter of the Catholic Church in both New Town and Lisbon, she was also active in the Democratic-NPL party and also in local community organizations such as the Lisbon Mothers Club.  Carol was a big sports fan whether they were played at the high school level or professional. She and Ron had season tickets for NDSU Bison football games for many years, and they would also try and get to at least one Minnesota Twins game a year.  In 2019 Ron and Carol moved to Presbyterian Homes retirement community in Spring Park, MN where they could be close to their daughter Cathy.  In 2022 Carol became a grandmother when her granddaughter Olivia Braaten was born.  Carol loved to sit with Olivia and listen to her talk and sing her ABCs.

Carol Ann Braaten, 76, died on January 4^th 2025.  She died peacefully and at home.  Carol was a wonderful, generous, compassionate person who loved her family and friends dearly.  She will be missed tremendously.  Carol was preceded in death by her father Carl “Art” Ahlgren and her mother Marie Ahlgren. She is survived by her husband Ron Braaten in Spring Park, MN and three children Nick (Jason Kudrna) Braaten in Palm Springs, Ca; Danny (Claire) Braaten in San Antonio, TX; and Cathy (Bryan) Kerber in Independence, MN and grandchild Olivia Braaten.

Carol’s funeral will be held on January 18^th at 10:00am at Our Lady of The Lake Catholic Church in Mound, MN.  A reception will follow at Lake Minnetonka Shores Presbyterian Homes in Spring Park, MN at noon.  The Family has asked that memorial contributions be made to Lake Minnetonka Shores Presbyterian Homes in Spring Park, MN and/or Ridgeview Hospice Foundation in Waconia, MN.