Carol Johnson Ahlquist, Tribe of Parnell
Update on the Carol and David Ahlquist family within the Tribe of Parnell, 2025
Carol retired from her 35 year job as director of nurses at the continuing care center in Grantsburg and moved to a loft home on daughter Dawn‘s property in Becker, Minnesota in October 2024. Retirement (at 75 years) and my move closer to all 11 of my grandchildren has been wonderful. I still get to serve with youth teaching and music in my new church here and get in 5 to 10 miles of bike riding every day.
Memories and family update by Carol Johnson Ahlquist, Tribe of Parnell
My “Peterson Parent” is Parnell. I am grateful to God for her and the firm foundation she brought to my life, and will just list a few things:
• She believed in the truth of God’s Word—demonstrated by reading/studying it, facilitating daily family devotions at the breakfast table, making sure we were present/serving in any situation God’s Word was proclaimed (SS, every church service, youth meetings, camp programs…), generous support of missions, creating the Sunday service bulletin every week…
• She loved music/singing—guiding us to also love it (making us all take piano lessons) from the great hymns to “Favorites” (we had two copies of all nine books) to the Perry Como-type genre.
• In June of 1957 she guided me and prayed with me as I repented of my sins and told Jesus that I believed that He died on the cross to pay the price for those sins, and I wanted to live my life for Him. She continued to guide me to memorize scripture and trust in God’s Word for every situation of life.
• She put great value on respect, learning/reading, kindness, helping the underdog, completing education, and being faithful to commitments.
• By being a Peterson, she gave me an extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins—all of whom had a part to guide/enrich my life as I grew up. (Now, living in Grantsburg, I am so honored to claim being related to them all.)
Growing up with such exceptional relatives, who took care of me in their homes and on the farm, gave me a childhood of security, confidence, trust in God, and great lifelong memories like:
• gathering several times a week for church and family birthdays
• Singing the Doxology and Hymns (always in 4 part harmony) at every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and church gathering (plus when anyone would burst into song)
• Playing with creative/fun/supportive cousins and learning about cows, kittens, pigs, haymows, silos, pastures, chicken butchering, dangerous bulls, birthing calves, preparing delicious food, digging worms, baking bread, riding on hay wagons, hiding in corn rows…
• Watching aunts & uncles pray/depend on God through the ups and downs of life.
It was the richest of childhoods providing the strongest foundation for life. It has been my privilege to care for many of them as a nurse in the nursing home—and see how their faith has carried them through to the last days of their lives.
My own family has heard story after story of this heritage and been fortunate to have been present at gatherings over the years which continue to enrich/guide their lives as well. Update of us all:
Carol Ahlquist-born in 1949 (4 days before Jim). Director of Nursing in Grantsburg Nursing Home.
Husband David Ahlquist died May 1, 2015
Daughter Dawn Bengtson-born 1977, works as labor/delivery RN in Princeton, MN
• Hokan Bengtson, Dawn’s husband, born 1976 is teacher/coach Becker, MN
• Hannah Bengtson born 2000
• Julia Bengtson born 2002
• Ryan Bengtson born 2004
• Zachary Bengtson born 2005
Daughter Megan Ahlquist- born 1983, works as RN in Nursing Home in Grantsburg and lives in Maple Grove, MN.
• Nia Mbuba (Megan’s daughter) born 2012
Son, Adam Ahlquist -born 1985-in Ophthalmology residency in Long Island, NY.
• Kari Blair Ahlquist-born1984-Physician Assistant Long Island, NY
• Blair Ahlquist-born 2011
• Breck Ahlquist-born 2014
• Davi Lynn Ahlquist-born 2015
Carol Johnson Ahlquist, Tribe of Parn, Memories, from 2000
Singing together at Wood River Church with Uncle Delroy leading (and me struggling at the piano)
VBS (all day long) at Wood River Church; softball and lunch bag eating among the tombstones
Christmas Eve gatherings; relatives’ birthday gatherings (almost weekly)
When “Sunny,” the bull, got loose in Uncle Vern’s barn and Jr. yelled, “get up in the hay mow!”
Riding the pigs and hay wagons at Uncle Fred and Aunt Annie’s farm during the annual girl cousins’ weeklong stay. Singing as a group for anyone that Aunt Annie could get to listen to us.
Rocko passing electric shocks through himself, Jim and me, while holding a live wire in the barn during chores, while playing “‘Vegetable, Mineral, or Animal.”
Picnics by the Tyberg creek
Blueberry picking with Nancy in Sandberg’s pasture.
Playing with all the new kittens.
Eating Sandberg’s corn on the cob and tons of other great food at family gatherings
Killing chickens at Uncle Vern’s and all the women plucking and cleaning the birds!
The marigolds at Auntie Vone’s and the lilies of the valley at Auntie Irene’s
Bailing hay and hiding in the cornfields
Digging for fishing worms with Nancy by the chicken coops
Nancy teaching me to make bread at the Sandberg cabin
The lamp that turned, that looked like a burning forest fire. Was that that at LaVone’s or Annie’s?
Nancy’s commissioning service to Ethiopia at camp. Did the guy cousins sing? What song?
Many gatherings at “Uncle Don’s Cabin”—swimming, roasting wieners, driving, surf boarding, horseshoes, and using the outhouse in pairs!