Barbara Kaldahl

Barbara Burd Kaldahl passed away June 22, 2019, with her loving husband, Dave, by her side. A celebration of life is planned for July 6, 2019 at 1 pm in the pavilion at Fair Hills Resort.  A reception will follow the service allowing time for friends, family, guests and all who knew Barb, to share their stories.  Casual resort attire is what she would have preferred.  In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Damiens or Lakes Crisis Center

Barb was born on March 30, 1932 in the family farmhouse, on the banks of the Red river, in Trail County, North Dakota.  She attended Bingham Country School and graduated from Climax, MN  High School in 1950.  She attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, graduating in 1954.  She and Dave were united in marriage the very next day by the college president.  After an adventurous honeymoon in East Grand Forks, MN, she began working her first of many jobs at Fair Hills as the kid’s recreation director.  Barb also taught Home Economics in Frazee, MN until the start of their family in 1956.

Barb was, for more than 60 years, the smiling and friendly ambassador for Fair Hills.  Her kindness was contagious, experienced by babies to teenagers to middle age and elderly guests.  Barb befriended everyone she met.  She leaves behind countless longtime friends from the community, resort guest friends, and numerous resort employees with whom she developed lifelong friendships.

Barb loved to travel, play tennis, go canoeing and do water aerobics.  And Barb really loved to walk. She started the Fair Hills morning walking group more than 35 years ago.  Barb also had a strong work ethic, whether blowing and raking leaves, cleaning up the resort grounds, dead heading flowers and more-she was never an idle woman.  She was also wickedly clever and took no pity when playing countless Scrabble games.

Barb was a great source of support when she and Dave decided to expand the resort with the purchase of Five Lakes Resort and later the building of Wildflower Golf Course.  She and Dave were members of the Minnesota Resort and Campground Association and were honored recently as lifetime members.

Barb was a member of Damiens, the World War 1 Women walking group (and XC ski group in the winter), and First Lutheran Church in Detroit Lakes, where she gave greatly of her time.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Anna Burd and her six brothers; Bill, Miles, Mike, Bruce and Dick and infant brother James.

She is survived by the love of her life, Dave, four children; son Steve, daughter Beth (Daniel) Schupp, daughter Lisa, and son Dan (Annette) Kaldahl; eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren; Sister in Laws, Twila Burd Lovas, Joan Burd and Lou Ann Burd, and numerous nieces and nephews.

We are so comforted that she's gone to be with her Lord, and that her struggles on earth are over.  We delight in the thought that she will be waiting for Dave with racket in hand, her award-winning smile, ready to school him with her killer lefty back hand.