Carol A. Grimmer

Carol Ann Grimmer, age 69, of North Mankato, died Wednesday, August 24, 2016, at her home.

A Memorial Visitation will be held 1-4 p.m., Sunday, August 28, 2016, at Northview – North Mankato Mortuary. Private family interment will be 5:00 p.m. on Sunday at Kerns Oak Grove Cemetery in North Mankato.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memorials are preferred to the MN Valley Sweet Adelines.

Carol was born September 20, 1946, and was adopted as an infant by Osler and Bernice Palmquist. She was a 1964 graduate of Parkers Prairie High School and received her B.A. Degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1968. Carol was united in marriage to Jeffrey Grimmer on December 29, 1973, in St. Peter. Carol was employed as a music teacher in Kimball, MN and Westport, CT. She later joined the music departments at Franklin Jr. High School and Mankato East High School, retiring in 2000. Carol started the MN Valley Chorus Chapter of the Sweet Adelines in 1974 and was its director for 40 years. She was involved in Adeline Idol, the City of Lakes Chorus, the Youth in Harmony school program, the American Choral Directors Association, the Voice Care Network, and was V.P. of the MN Music Educators Association. Carol directed and taught the annual Girl Scout Harmony badge workshop for the past 13 years. She received the Sweet Adelines International MENC Award in 2004 for her work with high school choirs and her commitment to bringing barbershop style music to young singers and new audiences. Her greatest recognition was being chosen as the first Region 6 (Shining Star) recipient. Carol enjoyed giving piano lessons, cooking, sewing, knitting, reading, and Sudoku. She and Jeff would visit vacation spots such as Burntside Lodge in Ely and Yuma, AZ, with good friends, Fran and Cindy Broderick. She also enjoyed traveling with her husband to the North Shore and winter vacations in Mexico.

Carol is survived by her husband, Jeff of North Mankato; four sisters-in-law, Janet Monahan of Bloomington, Judith (Jeff) Lippka of Bloomington, Terri Grimmer of River Falls, WI, and Tiffany Grimmer of Shakopee; nieces and nephews, Lisa (Chris) Murphy, Sara (Alex) Schaefer, Chad (Melissa) Grimmer, James Grimmer, Melissa Grimmer, Jocelyn Grimmer, Jeniveve Grimmer, Brian Erdrich, and Brad Erdrich; uncle, Frank Reinhold of Minneapolis; aunt, Barb Dangler of Berkeley, CA; also cousins, other family, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother-in-law, James R. Grimmer.

Truly, “Music heals the soul.”