Obituary of Carol Bakke

A graveside service for Carol Bakke, 81, of Spirit Lake, will be held Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at 5:00pm at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Following the graveside, there will be a reception at Buck's Pub in Spirit Lake. Carol passed away Thursday, February 14, 2019 at Sanford Sheldon Health Care. Carol Ann Bakke was born on August 5, 1937. The daughter of Calvin and Grace (Busse) Werkhoven in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Her parents owned a small cafe and bait shop in Orleans, Iowa. Then moved to Enderlin, North Dakota where they opened a cafe. After High School, she went to business school in Fargo, North Dakota and came back to Enderlin to work at the cafe, where she met the love of her life, Ronnie or "Sarge". They married in Webster, South Dakota in 1956. They were married for 46 years. Ronnie, Carol and their children traveled from one military base to another including Ft. Hood. Doug and Susan were born in Fairbanks, Alaska. They lived in Germany for two years and came back to Spirit Lake, when Sarge went to Vietnam. From there they lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and El Paso, Texas, until Sarge went back to Vietnam. After they moved to Ft. Bragg North Carolina and then back to Spirit Lake in 1974. Carol enjoyed going to Las Vegas and traveling with Ronnie to various casinos, having a cocktail, going to supper, flowers and her beloved Yorkie, Kelly. She got to see her favorite singer Neil Diamond. She also attended two Iowa football games. She worked at Pamida, Shoppers Supply, and Hy Vee, where she loved the customers and talking to them. She was survived by her son, Paul; grandson, Nathan; brother, Bob Werkhoven of Valley City, North Dakota; sister, Shirley Handy of Terril, Iowa; and her best friends, Crystal and Billie. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ronnie "Sarge"; children, Doug, Susan and Curtis; and three grandchildren.