Pearl Geraldine Carland

Funeral services for Pearl Carland, age 94, of Maple Grove, formerly of Milaca, will be held Thursday, March 3, 2016 at 11 AM at Zion Lutheran Church in Milaca with Rev. Stephen Blenkush officiating. Interment will follow at Wendell Hill Cemetery near Milaca. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. Pearl Geraldine Carland was born on September 7, 1921, as one of ten children, to parents, Axel and Anna (Orolin) Carlson in Bogus Brook Township, Milaca MN. There, she grew up attending country school until the age of 18, when she moved into the cities to work as a housekeeper and maid. Pearl was united in marriage to Godfred Oliver “Ollie” Carland, on April 27, 1963 at Zion Lutheran Church in Milaca. They made their home in Minneapolis, and attended Cross of Glory Lutheran Church. Pearl was a stay-at-home wife, but prior to marriage she worked at Sears Roebuck & Co. and J. W. Thomas. Pearl and Ollie never missed the chance to attend family activities such as weddings, birthdays, and annual family picnics. Being married later in life, they were gifted with the task of acting as caretakers of godchild Tammy Fleming’s three young children; a blessing as they were unable to have children of their own. Pearl had a green thumb and enjoyed gardening, both indoor and out. Much of her days were spent working in a country-sized garden, which occupied nearly half of her and Ollie’s backyard. Pearl also spent her free time sewing, an art in which she was a county fair winner as a young girl. After losing Ollie in the summer of 2002, Pearl moved to the city of Maple Grove to be closer to the Fleming family, where she lived with them for a year before moving into independent living. Pearl passed away peacefully on February 28, 2016 at the age of 94 in the loving hands of Tammy at St. Therese Nursing Care, where she had spent the final two years of her long and fulfilling life. Pearl is greatly loved and missed, and lives on in the hearts of those she touched. Pearl is survived by sister Vivian Buffington of Foley, MN, godchild Tammy Fleming (Carlson) and family (husband Peter, children Colton, Austin, and Abigail Pearl) of Maple Grove, MN, as well as many nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. Pearl was preceded in death by husband Ollie, parents Axel and Anna Carlson, siblings Sonny, Victor, Archie, John, Wayne, Blanche (Nelson), Gladys (Martens) and Marie (Nyquist).