Carol A. Haycraft

CAROL ANN HAYCRAFT was born to Marcella and Leonard (Mueller) Mielke at their home in New Ulm, Minnesota on May 1, 1940, her parent’s called her their May basket baby. She was baptized and confirmed at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in New Ulm. She had fond memories of her childhood and spending time with neighborhood friends, siblings, parents and grandparents. She attended school in New Ulm where she graduated from Holy Trinity Cathedral in 1958. In her younger years, she loved being a part of the Girl Scouts and was the head majorette of the Cathedral High School Band. She remembers her Grandma Mueller sewing their outfits and having Sister Vincent check to see if their outfits were too short prior to competitions. She reports soon after the check, the girls would roll them up at the waistline to go above their knees! She worked for the New Ulm Daily Journal for much of her childhood and young adult years. She started delivering the New Ulm Daily Journal to her 104 customers at a young age, then moved up to working as a teletype setter and in high school and after graduation, worked within the advertising office of the Journal. She met her future husband, Richard Haycraft, at the Hillcrest Roller rink in New Ulm. It was the place to be in the 1950’s! Every Sunday, Richard would drive up from his hometown of Lewisville to go skating with Carol. The couple was united in marriage on September 24, 1960 at the bride’s home church of Holy Trinity Cathedral. Carol’s boss at the Journal gifted the young couple a trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas for their honeymoon. Following their marriage, they resided in New Ulm and then moved around for a few years working at various places before settling down in the town of Luverne, Minnesota. Carol started working at the Luverne Elementary School as the school secretary in 1974. She loved being a small part of the day for all the kids who came through those school doors. She also treasured the special friendships developed with the principal, teachers and staff. She was recognized as the Friend of Education for the Luverne School District in 1989. Another highlight of her time as secretary was moving into the newly built Luverne Elementary School in 1998. Carol retired from her position in 2002; Following her retirement from the school, she decided she needed to stay busy. In March 2005, she took a job at Salon 75 for her stylist and friend, Faye Bremer, as a receptionist and remained there until retirement at the end of December 2017. In January 2021, Carol moved to Fairmont and became a resident at the Goldfinch Estates memory care facility. On Tuesday, January 3, 2023, Carol passed away at the Fairmont Hospital at the age of 82 years, eight months, and two days.

Carol was a member of St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. One of the joys of Rich and Carol’s lives was lake life. They loved lake time together and creating memories at their cabins with their kids and grandkids. They had a place on West Okoboji, then bought a small cabin on Lake Darling in Alexandria, Minnesota and eventually bought a place called “Ethan’s Little Acres,” a former resort on Lake Ida in Alexandria. It was Rich’s dream to find a place where they could host all of their family, including siblings, and Ethan’s Little Acres was just the place. She and Rich spent every summer weekend driving 3½ hours to/from the cabin. Carol’s hobbies included scrapbooking, making quilts for family members, golf, bowling and beating everyone in Farkel (a/k/a the Farkel Queen!). She also loved to cook her favorite German food and was a collector of angels, dolls and miniature shoes. She enjoyed her Monday afternoon coffee group outings with friends Barb Spartz, Sharon Oksness, Sharon Lais etc. and the many weekend adventures with friends Becky Runnoe, Mary Jacobson, and Cindy (what happens at the casino, stays at the casino). Her friends were a big part of her family, and we thank them for always making her smile and laugh, especially during her most difficult days. Carol cherished time spent with her family, watching her grandkids grow up and attending their many sport and school events. She was a proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Getting together for special events and holidays in Luverne, Fairmont, and New Ulm was always filled with lots of food, games, and laughter. The annual “Ziegler/Haycraft lip sync battles” over the past 10 years was one of the highlights of her summer. Her impression of Lil John achieved legendary status!

Carol is lovingly survived by her three children, Cory (Larry) Ziegler of Luverne, Randy (Kim) Haycraft of Fairmont, Chris Haycraft (Mark Vargo) of Blaine, Minnesota; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; two sisters, Ruth (Dick) Koppen of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Jan Ginn of New Ulm; a brother, Leonard Mielke of Cedar, Minnesota; and other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard (1991); parents; and a brother, Richard “Blackie” Mielke.