Madden, Carole Mary Blomquist Age 86, of Bloomington and Rochester MN, died peacefully at Seasons Hospice House in Rochester on August 13, 2020. Carole was born on the chilly morning of December 12, 1933 to Clarence and Alice (Pahl) Blomquist in Minneapolis, MN. She grew up in Hopkins, MN and graduated from Hopkins High School, class of 1951. Following graduation Carole worked as a legal secretary. She met the dashing Lawrence 'Larry' Madden in 1954 at South Long Lake in Brainerd, MN, where her family had a summer cabin, and he was visiting friends. They married February 5th of 1955 in Hopkins and lived their entire 62 years of married life in a home they had built in Bloomington, and they were lifelong members of St. Richard's Catholic Church. In addition to raising three children, Carole worked in roles of secretary and office manager at various organizations and insurance agencies in the south metro area. She retired in 1996. Carole loved raspberry and flower gardening, bird watching, knitting, genealogy research, entertaining, cooking, and keeping a tidy home and yard. She was an accomplished planner, organizer and bridge player. She spent most of her adult life as a member of multiple bridge clubs, playing with beloved neighborhood girlfriends into her 80's. Grandchildren all have fond memories of playing games and cards with her; she was a good teacher and stuck to the rules. She read broadly and loved to discuss her current book. The reading log she kept for decades contained thousands of books with notations on each. She followed current events and enjoyed a good discussion about almost any topic. She was a prolific letter writer and engaging storyteller. She enjoyed travel and being outdoors. She and Larry enjoyed many winters together on the Texas coast and summers at their cabin in Duquette, MN. Larry was the yard maintenance specialist, and Carole the garden artist; the Pahl green thumb was evident in her gardens on both properties with blooms of every color all season long. Carole was preceded in death by her parents Clarence and Alice, husband Larry, and infant children Colleen and Michael. She is survived by daughter Mary (Brad Christensen) of Rochester, MN, son Thomas (Debbie) of Mantua, NJ, and daughter Catherine 'Kate' of Bloomington, MN; grandchildren Andrew (Katie) and Bryan Christensen, Sean, David, Colleen and Michelle Madden; great grandchildren Brady and Kaya Christensen; brothers John (Penny) and Jim (Donna) Blomquist; nephews Jamie (Karie) and Jeffrey (Meghan) Blomquist and nieces Barb (Jon) Welp and Jennifer (Jon) Givand, as well as eight great-nieces and nephews, and godchildren Joanne Ticen Mallon, Mary Ostrom Ellenson and David Mullen. She will be missed by all! Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a private family graveside service will be held at Fort Snelling. Memorials preferred either to the family for dispersement, or directly to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, the Audubon Society, St. Richard's Catholic Church (Richfield, MN), or your local public library system. GILLBROTHERS.com BLOOMINGTON, MN 952-888-7771

Published on August 23, 2020