Barbara Kolden

Barbara Louise (Mueller) was born on August 20, 1953, in Glencoe to Robert and Carol (Bergs) Mueller. She grew up on a farm northeast of Gaylord and graduated from Gaylord High School in 1971. Barb attended the Minnesota School of Business in Minneapolis for a year and worked for the Fairview Hospital System. On June 13, 1981, she was united in marriage to Pastor Thomas Kolden. The couple lived in Steinbach, Manitoba where Barbara worked for Loewen Windows. They later lived in Nielsville, Audubon, LeRoy, and have currently been living in Minneota for the last two and one half years. Barb truly had a heart for service. She worked as a nurse’s assistant in a variety of settings including hospice and nursing homes. She was active with Headstart in several communities. Barb enjoyed quilting and crafts in general. She also enjoyed flowers and was an awesome cook. She was passionate about being a mom and making a house a home. She also enjoyed travelling to see her girls. Barb died on Monday, June 18, 2012, at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, after a sudden recurrence of cancer. She is survived by her husband, Pastor Tom Kolden of Minneota, daughters Sarah (and fiancé, Pastor David Fleener) of Hartford City, IN, Rebekah Kolden of Marshall and Rachel Kolden of Mankato, siblings Beth (Carl) Thompson of Mason City, IA, Cindy (Ken) Korth of Forest City, IA, Kevin Mueller of Gaylord and Pam Mueller of Rosemount, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and mother-in-law Evelyn Kolden. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen Fund for breast cancer research or the Hope Lutheran Church Memorial Fund.