Caroline I. (Duvick) Gustafson

Caroline Ingeborg (Duvick) Gustafson, 90, passed away on Thursday, February 17, 2022 in Palmer, Alaska.

Caroline Ingeborg (Duvick) Gustafson was born on November 28, 1931 in Morris, Illinois to Ebert and Rosa Duvick. She was the second of seven children. The family lived in rented farm houses, not getting electricity until 1938. They attended Helmar Lutheran Church, where services were in Norwegian every other week. Caroline was confirmed in 1946. She attended one-room Bushnell school through 8th grade and graduated as valedictorian from Newark High School. 

Caroline received a full academic scholarship to Illinois State Normal University, where she majored in education. While at University, Caroline worked as secretary for the head of the agriculture department and at Steak & Shake. Throughout her college career, she was actively involved in Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. During her senior year, she was a member of Gamma Phi, an athletic sorority that hosted an annual circus to raise money. Caroline performed on the swinging ladders and pyramid building.

Caroline moved to Minneapolis in 1953 to begin teaching at John Ericsson Elementary School. While teaching third grade, she had 43 students in her classroom with no helpers. All students walked home for lunch in those days and there were few disciplinary problems. Caroline got involved as a leader with Hi-C, an inter-denominational Christian high school group, and attended Bethesda Free Church and eventually Elim Covenant Church in Minneapolis.

Hi-C students Raymond Gustafson and Pat (Christensen) Wigen set Caroline up with Bob Gustafson at a Valentine’s Day social in 1955. They got married six months later, on August 13, 1955, in Helmar, IL. Caroline continued to teach while Bob attended Augsburg College. They welcomed Rhoda to their family in 1960, Carlotta in 1962, and Ellen in 1964. They built a house in Burnsville, MN, where they were active members of Faith Covenant Church.

Bob and Caroline (also known as Gus & Lena) enjoyed traveling, taking several trips to Europe with their family, and many trips to Norway and Sweden together. Upon retirement, they moved to their cabin near Fort Ripley, MN. Time was spent volunteering at Nordiska Bibelinstitutet in Säffle, Sweden, annual treks to Minot, ND for the Høstfest, and many years RV-ing to Catalina, AZ to volunteer with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

In 2005, they moved to Mill Ridge Commons in Cambridge, MN, where they attended First Baptist Church and continued to volunteer their time. Bob passed away in 2017, and Caroline learned to adapt to life without her best friend. For the past year and a half, she lived near Palmer, Alaska with youngest daughter, Ellen, and her family. Caroline was thrilled to get to know her “northern” grandchildren better, kept track of the comings and goings of their busy family, watched moose wander through the yard, attended Lazy Mountain Bible Church, joined a weekly women’s Bible study group, and enjoyed the regular visits of Rhoda and Carlotta.

Caroline was known for her quirky sense of humor, warm hospitality, pride in her Norwegian heritage, passion for thrift stores and office supplies, intense love for her family, and confidence in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Caroline was preceded in death by her parents, beloved husband Robert (Bob), brothers Forrest, Ole, Ralph, and Virgil, sister Ruth (Duvick) Loveless, and son-in-law Philip Smeeden. She is survived by sister and dearest friend, Myrtle Duvick, and brother-in-law Raymond Gustafson. She is survived by daughters Rhoda (Evan) Brue, Carlotta (Mark) Lund, Ellen (Karl) Edwards, grandchildren Sandi (Mike) Keller, Kristina (Josiah) Scheumann, Forrest (Paige) Lund, Healy, Austin, Aaron and Lena Edwards, step-grandchildren Scott Edwards and Kyle (Mandy) Edwards. She was also the proud great-grandmother of Lucille Caroline Scheumann, Evalynn Rose Keller, Lexi Luberda and Jameson Edwards.

Thank you for your part in our mother’s life. Your friendship, encouragement, and support are a huge blessing to us. To God be the glory!

Rhoda, Carlotta, and Ellen

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, April 8, 2022 at 2:00pm at First Baptist Church in Cambridge, MN. Visitation one hour prior to the service. 

Memorials are preferred to Wycliffe Bible Translators staff members and cherished friends, Scott and Paula Starker. Please note account #300072 on a separate piece of paper, not in the memo line.

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