Ninth Generation

205. Carol Ann ECKELBERG was born on 1 February 1934 in Monroe County, WI.^74,338 She died on 26 June 2019 at the age of 85 in Wilton, Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.³³⁸

Obituary Notes: "Carol A. Eckelberg Osteboe, 85 of Wilton, passed away Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at her home after her 2-year battle with cancer. She was born February 1, 1934 to Albert George and Almeda Tonn Eckelberg. Carol Ann was baptized by Rev. Carl Berg, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Ridgeville, and confirmed by Rev. Raymond Meyer, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Wilton. She grew up in the Village and graduated with Wilton High School Class of 1951 as valedictorian.

Carol graduated from Luther Hospital School of Nursing, Eau Claire, in 1954. She earned a B.S. in Nursing Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1960. Her work was primarily in Veterans Administration Hospitals, Tomah and Minneapolis.

Carol joined the Minnesota Air National Guard in 1961. Five days after being sworn in, President Kennedy activated the ANG for a year of Air Force active duty during the Second Berlin Crisis. Carol became one of the “founders” of the 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Flight and trained as a flight nurse. She left the ANG in 1965 with rank of captain.

On October 20, 1963, Carol married Harlow (“Bud” / Hal) Osteboe. They lived 30 years in Wheaton, Il; Bud, a pilot for United Airlines, commuted to O’Hare. An active member of Faith Lutheran Church, Glen Ellyn, she participated in Stephen Ministry.

In 1996, Carol and Bud moved to Wilton, built their rural retirement home, and became active members of St. Paul’s. She was president of W-ECLA 1999-2006 and introduced and organized the Prayer Chain in 2001.
Carol is survived by her loving caretaker husband of 55 years, Bud; two sons, Thor (Megan) of Plymouth, MN and Paul of Golden, CO; seven grandchildren, Sara of Fort Collins, CO; Gunnar, Karenna, Kirsten, and Maren all of Plymouth, MN; Jiselle and Gretchen, both of Golden, CO; a host of beloved cousins, relatives, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Merlyn, in June 2018.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:30 PM on Monday, July 1, 2019 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Wilton. Pastor Cathleen Morris will officiate. Visitation will be held Sunday, June 30, 2019 from 4-7 PM at Smith-Nelson Funeral Home, Wilton. Burial will be private at St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Carol may be made to St. Paul’s Scholarship Fund."

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Carol Ann ECKELBERG and Harlow Beck "Bud" OSTEBOE were married on 20 October 1963.³³⁸ Harlow Beck "Bud" OSTEBOE⁵⁴ was born on 16 August 1936 in Windom, Cottonwood County, MN.⁵⁴ He died on 25 February 2025 at the age of 88 in Wilton, Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.⁵⁴ Obituary Notes: "Harlow Beck “Bud” Osteboe of Wilton, WI died on 2/25/2025 following a short illness. His beloved wife of 55 years, Carol A. Osteboe (nee Eckelberg), preceded him in death in June 2019.

Bud was born in Windom, MN on 8/16/1936 to Edith Beck Osteboe and Harlow Andrew Osteboe. After his father left the family when Bud was nine years old, he and his two sisters, Joyce and Phoebe, were raised by their mother and extended family. Bud was a proud southern Minnesota “flatlander” and carried a life-long respect and gratitude for the people of that area, especially for the cadre of family and men of the Trimont, MN community who helped launch him into adulthood.

Bud graduated from Central High School in Waseca, MN in 1954. In August 1956, instead of enrolling in dental school as planned, he asked an Air Force recruiter, “How do you get into Air Force pilot training?” That launched a career and enduring love with flying.

After five years as a U.S. Air Force pilot flying B-25s, he returned to Minnesota to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota while serving in the Minnesota Air National Guard flying KC-97 aircraft. His Guard unit was activated for a year of duty in September 1961 in response to the Second Berlin Crisis. He eventually earned his Bachelor’s from U of MN in 1964.

During this period of time, he met and married Carol Eckelberg of Wilton, WI. 'It was the most fortunate event of my life,' he frequently told people. They went on to raise their two sons, Thor and Paul; care for their elderly parents; support one another in their professional pursuits; and enjoy a variety of travels, symphony concerts, and family memories together.

In 1965 Bud was hired as a pilot by United Air Lines based out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, flying both domestic and international routes. The family lived in Wheaton, IL.

Bud soon became heavily involved in the administration of the National Air Line Pilots Association pensions and specialty insurance programs, and also in those of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations based in London. In 1994 at a meeting in Hong Kong, he was honored by International Federation for his efforts in helping negotiate and implement pension and specialty insurance programs for pilot groups of the former Iron Curtain countries. He ended his career at United as a line pilot, after serving as head of the United Pilot group and member of United’s corporate Board of Directors during the early period of employee ownership.

As retirement approached, Carol and Bud decided to make their home among the beautiful hills of western Wisconsin in Carol’s childhood hometown of Wilton. They had purchased farm land just south of Wilton when their sons were young and spent a great deal of family time planting trees on the property. Local builder Bob Braund built their new home on this land. Bud was fortunate to have been able to stay in his home until just a few weeks prior to his death.

Bud is survived by two sons: Thor (Megan) of Plymouth, MN and Paul of Golden, CO; seven grandchildren: Gunnar of Salt Lake City, UT, Karenna, Kirsten and Maren of Plymouth, MN, Sara of Evergreen, CO, Jiselle and Gretchen of Golden, CO; many beloved nieces and nephews and numerous cherished friends. In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his mother and two sisters.

A Visitation will be held from 4-7 pm on Friday, March 7 at Smith Nelson Funeral Home in Wilton. A private burial will take place on Saturday, March 8 followed by a Celebration of Life Service at 1:30pm at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wilton.

Donations in Bud’s memory may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Scholarship Fund, www.stpaulswilton.com or 401 Mill Street, Wilton, WI 54670."

Carol Ann ECKELBERG and Harlow Beck "Bud" OSTEBOE had the following children: