Edna Neibauer

Edna Neibauer, age 103, of Mentor, MN passed away on Thursday, March 11th, at Fair Meadow Nursing Home in Fertile, MN. Memorial services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 27th, at Faith Lutheran Church in Mentor with Father Dave Super and Rev. Michael Sletto officiating. Interment will be in St. Lawrence Catholic Cemetery, Mentor. Family will greet friends for one hour prior to the service at the church. The funeral service is open to the public with social distancing and mandatory mask wearing. The service will be livestreamed on the Carlin website and Facebook page. Arrangements are with Carlin Family Funeral Service of Erskine and messages of condolence may be shared at www.carlinfuneral.com.

Edna Carlson was born September 19, 1917 on the family farm in Grand Prairie Township, rural Valley City, ND. She was the fifth of six children born to Tom and Karen Carlson, immigrants from Norway. Edna had wonderful memories of her childhood attending a one-room schoolhouse. She was very athletic, participating in numerous sports in high school including volleyball, basketball, softball, and track. She was a six-year starter for Grand Prairie High School in basketball. She finished her career with a 93-0 record with 6 state class C championships. Edna was a starter for the two years she attended Valley City Start Teachers College. She kept her undefeated record there, as well.

She played intra-mural basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, and golf. Edna wrote for the school paper as well. She also learned to play the piano, which served her and others well throughout her life. She taught piano lessons for many years. Edna received her teaching degree and taught school in a rural school near Oriska, ND, then Monango, ND, Middle River, MN, and Valley City Junior and Senior High.

She married Edwin Neibauer in 1941 and had four children: Tom, Mike, Nick, and Nancy. She lived in Fullerton, ND with her sister Clara while Ed served overseas during World War II. Tom was just a baby at the time. After the war was over and Ed returned home, they moved to McIntosh, MN where Ed took a job as principal of the high school. Mike was soon born, followed by Nick and Nancy, so Edna was busy at home raising children. Edna served in a number of organizations and held offices in all of them: VFW Auxiliary, American Legion auxiliary, Homemakers Club, Federated Study Club, and an arts and crafts group. She served on the Polk County Library Board for ten years, and on the Lake Agassiz Regional Library Board. In 1957 they moved to Mentor, where Ed was school superintendent and Edna went to work in his office as his secretary.

Life was a whirlwind of busyness during those years, yet Edna continued taking classes in education to fulfill new requirements for teaching. She accompanied hundreds of students in music contests throughout the years, played for dozens of weddings and funerals, then later played organ in church. She earned her special education degree and went to teach in the Fertile-Beltrami school district after Ed retired from his job. After her retirement from teaching they were able to take many trips with friends including Norway, Hawaii, Europe, and around the U.S.

Edna will be forever remembered for her generosity, her independence, her piano skills, her delicious homemade breads and rolls, her great cooking skills, her love of Scrabble, her love of reading, her hard work and her wonderful sense of humor.

Edna was preceded in death by her son, Michael in 1975, her husband, Edwin, in 2003, her parents Thomas and Karen Carlson, and siblings Bjarne Carlson, Jacob Carlson, Ralph Carlson, Clara Van Middlesworth, and Anne Walter.

Edna is survived by Tom (Susan) Neibauer of Middle River, MN, Nick (Debra) Neibauer of Fertile, MN, Nancy (Jim) Cole of Moorhead, MN, grandchildren Jeremy Hanson (Lisa Wegleitner) of Fargo, ND, Jennifer Hanson (Dave Kramer) of Moorhead, MN, Nick (Brandon) Neibauer-Adams, Jr. of Fertile, Dustin (Kate) Neibauer of Waconia, MN, Casey Neibauer of Grand Forks, ND, great- grandchildren Kaleigh Lee, of Felton, MN, Brady Halverson of Chicago, IL, Elise and Charlie Neibauer of Waconia, MN , great-great grandchildren Tyler and Mariah Lee and Kristopher Klevgaard of Felton, MN.