Carrol Arnold Tollefson

Funeral service will be livestreamed here https://vimeo.com/576830733

Carrol's tribute video can be viewed here. https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/F7XKCQ37CS5HYM5H

Pastor C.A. Tollefson died July 15, 2021 in Fargo, ND.

He was born July 21, 1922, to George and Hulda (Anderson) Tollefson in Plaza, ND. On the family farm, Carrol took on many responsibilities after his dad’s death when Carrol was only 16 years old. Thus began his lifelong love of the land and its fruit. He graduated from Concordia College in 1950, remaining a loyal Cobber all his life. He then enrolled in Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN, where he graduated in May 1953. During his studies at Luther Seminary, he was sent to Concordia Lutheran Church, northeast Minneapolis, where he met a young widow named Helen Schansberg Eggan. They married August 9, 1952, and he became a father to 10-year-old Judy. One summer he worked for the Pillsbury Co. loading boxcars, while Helen had already worked at General Mills for 7 years. This began the ongoing war between Betty Crocker and the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

He accepted his first call to a four-point parish in Fillmore, ND. There, he and Helen were blessed with the birth of three daughters. Helen and Carrol and family moved to a three-point parish in Enderlin, ND in August 1958. All four daughters graduated from Enderlin High School. Here, Carrol found wonderful opportunities to serve such as Kiwanis, city council, and the board of Southeast Mental Health Services. As a pastor, he was always interested in peoples' spiritual journey along with emotional and mental health issues.

Through the generosity of the people of Enderlin, Carrol and Helen traveled to Norway to visit their foreign exchange student, Gro Haaverson and her family, as well as visiting their ancestral homes.

In the fall of 1975, Carrol accepted a call to First Lutheran Church, Fargo, as visitation pastor. In this role, he was privileged to address the needs of senior citizens, those hospitalized, homebound, or in nursing facilities. He retired from First Lutheran in August of 1987.

In Fargo, Carrol once again embraced a life of ministry through involvement in teaching the 55 Alive driving program through AARP, serving on the board of both Nokomis and Bethany, serving as a voting judge at many elections, donating blood, and volunteering thousands of hours at Merit Care Hospital. There he was known as "the popcorn man!"

Over the years, Carrol was honored to baptize many babies, perform numerous weddings, confirm several folks, sit by bedsides of the sick, offer communion to everyone, and be the calm voice as a loved one was laid to rest. He truly enjoyed every aspect of a pastor’s life.

While in Fargo, Carrol and Helen were fortunate enough to attend events involving their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and numerous activities with their four daughters. In retirement, Carrol served as interim pastor at Osterdalen Lutheran Church, Argusville, until that church was closed. After Helen passed away in February 2010, Carrol continued to volunteer at MeritCare Hospital. Due to health reasons, he moved to Bethany Retirement Home where he died on July 15, 2021.

He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers Elmer and Art, sisters Gladys, Alice and Clarice; his wife Helen, granddaughters, Melissa and Andresa Carlson. He is survived by his daughters, Judy Coughlin, Mary (Bob) Stenson, Becki Tollefson, all Fargo, and Martha Tollefson, Tucson, AZ; grandchildren, Mark Coughlin, Fargo, Julie (Donnie) Becker, Washburn, Janelle (Lance) Kistner, Sabin, MN, Shanna (Osvaldo) de la Torre, Brooklyn Center, MN, and Elisa (Yoran) Marchione, Heber City, UT. He was a loving great grandfather to Ava Kistner and Kiera Becker.

Carrol's requests were memorials to Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN or Concordia College, Moorhead, MN.

Blessed be the memory of Carrol Tollefson. "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's”.