Carol Barbara Rugland Meade

Monday, March 4, 2019 2:55 pm

Carol Barbara Rugland Meade, 88, of Decorah, passed away at home Feb. 24, 2019, with her daughters by her side. A memorial service is at 12:00 Saturday, march 16, at Hauge Lutheran Church, with lunch and fellowship to follow. Intern pastor Todd Burrichter will officiate. Interment of ashes will occur at Hauge when the lilacs bloom.

Carol Meade was born Dec. 25, 1930, to Gerhard and Grace (Carl) Rugland in Appleton, Minn. She graduated from West High School (Minneapolis) in 1948, and planned on attending Luther College but made a last minute decision to enter the nursing program at St. Barnabas Hospital School of Nursing in Minneapolis. After graduation she went to work at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where she met Roger B. Meade. They were married in Stockholm, Sweden in 1954. The couple then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where Roger worked for the family import/export company. Son Erik and daughter Marguerite were born there. The family moved to Copenhagen, Denmark to be near the European market, and daughter Birgitta was born there in 1961. Roger and Carol separated and Carol and the children moved back to the States in 1966. Carol entered the school of nursing at Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont. and later finished her Bachelor of Nursing degree at The Ohio State University in 1969 and her master’s in 1973. She was fortunate to receive a full scholarship and living stipend for her education from the Great Society programs of the LBJ years. She joined the faculty of Columbus Technical Institute and later became director of the School of Nursing. Carol moved back to Minneapolis in 1978 to be near her ill parents. She became one of the first nurses in the hospice program at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Carol had a deep interest in her Norwegian and English immigrant ancestry. She served as president of Sigdalslag, an association dedicated to preserving Norwegian-American heritage. In 2014 Carol moved to Decorah to live with her daughters. In Decorah she always read the daily newspaper, enjoyed gardening, the senior meal site, Curves and the Depot Outlet. She loved opera and classical music. Carol volunteered to be part of a long-term study at the Mayo Clinic on the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

Carol is survived by son Erik of Richfield, Minn.; daughters, Marguerite and Birgitta of Decorah; granddaughter, Alexis (Yasir) Burney with great-granddaughter, Ruya. of Chicago, Ill. and grandson, Roger (Victoria), of Brandywine, Md.

Memorials are preferred to W.M.C Hospice, 901 Montgomery St., Decorah, IA 52101 or Alzheimer’s research (philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/alzheimers)
Fjelstul funeral home in Decorah is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at fjelstul.com.