Norma Carkhuff

Norma F. Carkhuff, 89, of Brainerd, died Tuesday, June 1, 2004 at Bethany Good Samaritan Village in Brainerd. Funeral services will be Saturday, June 5, 10 a.m., at Brenny Funeral Chapel in Baxter, with Pastor Gary Peterson officiating. Friends may visit Friday, June 4, 6-8 p.m., at Brenny Funeral Chapel. Interment will be at Gull River Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Brenny Funeral Chapel of Baxter.
Norma Frances Phillips was born November 1, 1914 in Duluth, to Martin and Bertha (Cottingham) Phillips. She grew up and attended school in Duluth. After graduating high school she attended Bible College for a year, and then completed teacher?s training at Northwestern University in Chicago. She returned to Duluth, where she worked writing classified ads for the Duluth News-Tribune. She was united in marriage to Vernon Messerschmidt in Duluth on August 19, 1936. She taught school for a year in Wheaton. The couple later divorced and she remarried Benjamin Carkhuff in Yankton, South Dakota on February 14, 1956. They moved to Pine River in 1957, and later moved to Brainerd. Norma taught at Lake Alexander and then at the Brainerd State Hospital, where she eventually became a supervisor. She retired in 1980, and had lived at Bethany Good Samaritan Village for the past two years. She attended First Baptist Church in Brainerd. Norma was a voracious reader. She loved to travel, and made several trips to Europe.

Norma is survived by six children: Robert (Linda) Phillips, of Bismark, ND, Martin (Sherri) Messerschmidt, of New Salem, ND, Phillip (Lori) Carkhuff, of Waite Park, Priscilla Gilbert, of Duluth, Pat (Duane) Fornshell, of Brainerd, and Penny (Dale) Buren, of Duluth; a brother, Seth Phillips, of Plymouth; 21 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. Ben, her husband of 43 years; her parents; a sister, Jessie; and a brother, Leland, preceded Norma in death.