 CALDWELL, BARBARA THOSTENSON age 84, longtime resident of Albuquerque, NM passed peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at the Manzano Del Sol Good Samaritan Village in Albuquerque, NM. Her parents preceded her in death. Her oldest brother, Thorborn Thostenson was killed on Iwo Jima during WW2 and her oldest sister, Helen Jones passed in 2011. Her grandchildren, Alexandra and Evan Caldwell also preceded her in death. Services will be held at 2:00pm on Friday, May 17, 2013 at the Yellow Medicine Lutheran Church in Hanley Falls, Minnesota. Barbara Thostenson Caldwell, the youngest of six children, was born in Hanley Falls, Minnesota on the Thostenson homestead on October 20, 1928 to Ole & Anna (Trovatten) Thostenson. She was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith and went to elementary school at the local one room schoolhouse in the country. She attended high school in Granite Falls, MN, where she was both homecoming queen and a cheerleader, graduating in 1945. She sang in the choir at the Lutheran church in Granite Falls, and then attended college at St. Augustana College in Sioux Falls. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in St Paul, MN in spring 1951 with a degree in Education, majoring in Music. Following graduation Barbara briefly taught in high school, producing and directing operettas for the Jewish Settlement House. In September of 1951, Barbara married John Caldwell at the Yellow Medicine Lutheran Church in Hanley Falls. Over the years, they lived in many different areas including Gainesville, Florida; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; moving to Mountain Home, Idaho in 1966. Barbara divorced in late 1977 and moved to Boise, Idaho briefly, then to Santa Fe, NM in 1978 where she opened and ran several antique shops. Barbara made her final move to Albuquerque, NM in 1981, where she spent the rest of her life. She taught piano and voice in schools and at home for several years in Florida and San Francisco. She was an executive secretary for Boeing in Seattle, and then worked selling Avon for many years in Mountain Home, Idaho. In Albuquerque, she worked as a home health care aide for over 20 years, taking care of home bound seniors on a live-in basis. After open heart surgery in 2004, Barbara was forced to retire, and moved to La Resolana. She was active in different area churches over the years and served in leadership positions for the Order of Eastern Star and Amaranth in Mountain Home, ID from 1967 - 1977 and Boise from 1977 - 1978. Barbara loved people, and excelled in teaching music, selling Avon and working with seniors doing home health care. Even in her final years at La Resolana in Albuquerque, Barbara held leadership positions in the tenant organization and made many friends during her seven year stay. Many appreciated Barbara's expansive knowledge of antiques, particularly old wall clocks. Barbara passed away peacefully at the Manzano Del Sol Good Samaritan Village in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will now join her brother, sister, parents and grandchildren in Heaven, where she can once again sing the Messiah chorus. Survivors include her three children, Elizabeth (Tom) Barnett of Anchorage, AK, John (Melissa) Caldwell of Farmington, NM and David Caldwell of Albuquerque, NM; three siblings, Alton Thostenson of Lewiston, ID, Kathleen Ward of Albuquerque, NM and Hiram Thostenson of Montevideo, MN; grandchildren, Erinn and Britton Barnett, Graham Caldwell; and many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in the family plot in the Yellow Medicine Lutheran Cemetery. The Sunset Funeral and Cremation Association of Echo and Wabasso, Minnesota are handling the arrangements for the family. Blessed be her memory. Condolences may be sent to Sunset Funeral Home in Echo, Minnesota, in preparation for the services in May.
|
