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Carol Graham Brue • 1943 - 2006
Carol Graham Brue, 63, of Alvarado, Minn., died Thursday
morning, July 20, in her home.
Carol Chapman was born March 1, 1943, in Vermillion, S.D., the
daughter of Warren and Ellen Chapman. The family, including a
brother and sister, farmed for several years before moving to
to Kenmare, N.D., where Carol attended grade school and high
school.
She married David Eckberg, of Kenmare, in August 1961 and moved
to Grand Forks, N.D. They had two children, Cindy, in 1962, and
Thea, in 1966.
The family moved to North Carolina, and the couple later divorced.
Carol and her daughters returned to North Dakota and lived briefly
in Fargo before coming in 1972 to Grand Forks, where she took
work at the Grand Forks Herald as a switchboard operator and
receptionist. She moved soon after to the newsroom.
She remarried briefly in the 1970s to Michael Graham.
Carol married Mike Brue, of Alvarado, on Sept. 13, 2003, in Osakis,
Minn., culminating a long companionship that began two decades
earlier as Herald co-workers and friends.
She retired on Dec. 31, 2005, after 33 1/2 years at the newspaper.
In a Herald column about the event, Carols husband described
her lengthy service:
Even in coordinating the Herald's arts and entertainment coverage
in recent years, Carol never supervised anyone but herself. .
. . Carol refers to herself as one of the "worker bees"
-- someone who puts in an honest day's work and tries every day
to do as well as she can under the circumstances presented. She
understands and respects the worker bee's importance. She takes
great pride in it. . . .
Carol typed numerous announcements for births, engagements and
weddings. She typed thousands of obituaries, and wrote some feature
obits, too. She wrote news and feature briefs about everything
from government meetings to club and organizational news. Little
stuff usually found somewhere on an inside or back page. Real
big stuff to the people it impacts.
When her byline did appear on stories over the years, Carol reported
on the passions of people ranging from hobbyists to artists to
entertainers. . . .Her work could be trusted. It was useful.
Easy to use. She wrote about people like us.
In January, Carol received the North Valley Arts Councils first
Career Award for exceptional media coverage of the arts.
Carol was straightforward and heartfelt. She regularly told people
-- loved ones to complete strangers -- how much she appreciated
them or their efforts.
Carol loved being a grandparent and watching her children raise
them. She became an accomplished quilter, and liked to experiment
with new recipes while cooking or baking. Carol enjoyed the outdoors,
regularly walking, frequently gardening and for many years camping
and hiking. She loved the adventure of spur-of-the moment traveling
on trips long and short. She enjoyed the company of her cats.
She attended the efforts of the local arts and entertainment
scene in addition to covering those events. Carol liked watching
films and documentaries.
Carol battled cancer multiple times since 2002, becoming an effective
personal and public advocate for the local American Cancer Society
Relay For Life events and serving as an honorary chairman.
Survivors include her husband; daughter Cindy Dudley and
her fiance Tim Weatherington, of Vanceboro, N.C.; daughter Thea
(Jon) Blaufuss, of Nampa, Idaho; three grandchildren,Jenna Dudley
and David and John Kurtis Blaufuss; brother Ken (Dianne) Chapman,
of Kenmare; and sister Charolette (Art) Wanner, of Dickinson,
N.D. Her mother, Ellen, of Kenmare, also survives.
Carol was preceded in death by her father, Warren.
Interment: A private family burial service Monday, July
24, 2006 at Lakeview Cemetery in Kenmare. The Rev. Thom Bowsher
of Mohall will officiate.
Public memorial remembrance and celebration starting at 6:30
p.m. Wednesday, July 26, 2006 with a 7 p.m. program, in the Grand
Forks Herald Community Room, 375 Second Ave. N.
Memorials preferred to Altru Cancer Center in lieu of flowers.
To sign the online guest register
for Carol
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