Barbara Thostenson Caldwell

Barbara Thostenson Caldwell, age 84, of Albuquerque, NM, formerly of Hanley Falls, MN, passed away on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at the Manzano Del Sol Good Samaritan Village in Albuquerque, NM. Services will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, May 17, 2013 at the Yellow Medicine Lutheran Church in Hanley Falls. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in the Yellow Medicine Lutheran Cemetery. The Sunset Funeral & Cremation Association of Echo and Wabasso are handling the arrangements for the family. Barbara Thostenson Caldwell, the youngest of 6 children, was born in Hanley Falls, Minnesota on the Thostenson homestead on October 20, 1928 to Ole and Anna (Trovatten) Thostenson. She was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith and went to elementary school at the local one room schoolhouse in the country. She attended high school in Granite Falls, MN, where she was homecoming queen and a cheerleader, graduating in 1945. She sang in the choir at the Lutheran church in Granite Falls, and then headed to college at St. Olaf’s and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis from 1946 to 1950 where she double majored, receiving a BA degree in both Music and Education. In September of 1951, Barbara married John Caldwell at the Yellow Medicine Lutheran Church in Hanley Falls, Minnesota. Over the years, they lived in many different areas including Gainesville, Florida, San Francisco, California, Seattle, Washington, Mountain Home, Idaho, Boise, Idaho, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. She taught music, piano and voice, in schools and at home for several years in Florida and San Francisco. She was an executive secretary for Boeing in Seattle, and then worked selling Avon for many years in Mountain Home, Idaho. She owned an antique shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico for several years, and then moved to Albuquerque for the last 30 years of her life. There she worked as a home health care aide for over 20 years, taking care of home bound seniors on a live in basis. After an open heart surgery, Barbara was forced to retire in 2004. She was active in different area churches over the years including the Order of Eastern Star in Mountain Home, ID from 1967 – 1977 and Boise, ID from 1977 – 1979, as well as Amaranth during the same period. She always loved people, and excelled in teaching music, selling Avon and working with seniors doing home health care. Other hobbies included antiques, including a fascination with old wall clocks. On December 5, 2012 Barbara passed away at the Manzano Del Sol Good Samaritan Village in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the age of 84 years old. Survivors include her three children, Elizabeth (Tom) Barnett of Anchorage, AK, John (Melissa) Caldwell of Farmington, NM and David Caldwell of Albuquerque, NM; three siblings, Alton Thostenson of Lewiston, ID, Kathleen Ward of Albuquerque, NM and Hiram Thostenson of Montevideo, MN; grandchildren, Erinn and Britton Barnett, Graham Caldwell, and many nieces and nephews. Her parents, brother, Thorborn Thostenson, sister, Helen Jones, and grandchildren, Alexandra and Evan Caldwell preceded her in death. Blessed be his memory.