Carol Achterkirch

Carol Achterkirch, age 79, of Jackson, passed away with her daughter by her side, at her residence on Monday, June 13, 2022. Memorial service will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 2, 2022, at United Methodist Church in Jackson, with Pastor Russ Steele officiating.

Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, July 1, 2022, at the United Methodist Church in Jackson, and will continue one hour prior to the Memorial service.  
Memorials may be made to the United Methodist Church in Jackson, the Jackson County Parks & Trails Department, or Sanford Hospice Worthington, MN

Our family, as well as a group of friends and communities including Jackson, MN and Lake Havasu, AZ, have lost a kind, generous, loving, and talented soul.  

Carol Ellefson Achterkirch, age 79, passed away at home with her loving daughter Mary at her side, on June 13, 2022.  When Carol's doctors told her in early March they couldn't "fix" her anymore, she chose to go into Hospice Home Care in her favorite place, her home.

Carol was born on November 11, 1942, in Moline, IL, the eldest child of Anne (Stoffer) and Harold (Curly) Ellefson.  Carol and her two siblings, Carmen, and Tim grew up in Hampton, Iowa in a home filled with their parents’ love and great values, always being shown the importance of community involvement and the beauty of having lots of family and friends in their lives.

Carol was very involved in high school activities, graduating from the Hampton High School in 1961, and maintaining life-long friendships with many classmates.

Following high school, Carol attended Mason City Community College, continuing to be very involved with many activities in the college and the community.

After graduating from MCCC, Carol continued her education at Mankato State University, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Social Work.

It was during her student days at MSU that Carol met Raymond H. Achterkirch, the love of her life.  They were married on September 5, 1963, in Hampton, Iowa, eventually settling in Jackson, Minnesota in 1976.  Carol and Ray were blessed with a daughter Mary in 1968, who was not only their loving daughter, but a life-long best friend to both of her parents.

Beginning her career with the Department of Human Resources as a Social Worker, Carol was devoted to helping families in the community.  She retired as Social Services Supervisor in 2005.  She and Ray were both very involved with the United Methodist Church in Jackson, serving on multiple committees and fundraisers and always willing to help with whatever the church needed.

Carol enjoyed traveling with family and friends, including many years of wintering in Lake Havasu, AZ, where she became involved in one of the local churches, 

St. Michael's, where she of course made many new great friends and became very involved with the craft group and card club, and also working on church committees.  

Carol never stopped giving, to her family, her church, her communities.  She was kind, pragmatic, witty, generous, and loving to all, always willing to help in any way she could to make someone else's life better and was always available to family and friends to offer advice and wisdom.

Carol was involved in many community groups.  She was asked to be one of the founding Board members of the Jackson Community Foundation and served on the Board for many years.  She was also involved with the P. Buckley Moss Society, Red Hat Ladies & several card clubs.

Being an artist by nature, Carol spent many enjoyable years creating beautiful hand-stitched quilts and wall hangings, knitting and crocheting throws as well as dozens of prayers shawls for those in the community who needed the comfort of something warm on their shoulders.  She also was a busy painter of many objects...beautiful pictures, glass bottles, rocks of all sizes, and wooden objects that her dad had created, and she finished by using her creative paint brush.

Carol was preceded in death by her husband Ray, her parents Anne & Harold (Curly), and a niece Stephanie Lundie.

Carol is survived by her daughter Mary (David) Bednarek, her grandson Bradley Mikula; her brother Tim (Peggee) Ellefson; her sister Carmen (Bill) Lundie; niece Cassie (Ben) Landhauser & their daughter Gwen; nephew Ben (Laura) Ellefson; nephew Bill (Jill) Lundie & their children Lauren and Brandon; and many, many good friends.  We will all greatly miss this very special person.

The family would like to sincerely thank the very kind and helpful friends, medical staffs, and Hospice Care friends Sara & Sam, for all they did to make Carol's life more comfortable.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carol Achterkirch, please visit our floral store.