Carl Nelson Sterud

Carl Nelson Sterud 9 November 1911 - 27 January, 2011 Carl Sterud was born in Bath, ND to Ludvig and Julia (Guri) Sterud. Carl was the second of four sons born to Ludvig and Julia. Nels, Arthur and Arnold all preceded him in death. Ludvig and Julia had immigrated to the United States from Norway in 1908. Ludvig Nelsen (1889-1922) was from Nes, Hedmark; Julia Hovrud (1885) was from Nord Aurdal, Oppland. Both families were rural farmers whose antecedents have been traced back to the 1500s. In her late teens, Julia had traveled to Nes where she was employed as a house servant at the large and prestigious Sterud farm. At the time, Ludvig was a day laborer on an adjacent farm. They met and married in 1907 and immigrated to the United States. They took the Sterud farm name as their own. After coming first to South Dakota, they purchased a farm in Coulee, ND that had a coal mine on the property. Ludvig died in a mine accident in 1922. Julia passed in 1970 in Minot, ND. As a child, Carl worked on the family farm and, as a teen, would hire himself out as a field laborer on the farms of relatives in both North and South Dakota. In 1931, while working in South Dakota, Carl met Alice Adelia Badten at a barn dance. They married in 1932 and lived on the Sterud farm. Their first son, Eugene, was born there in 1933. Shortly thereafter, they moved to nearby Kenmare, where Carl was employed by the Honey Boy Bakery. Their second child, Marilyn, was born in 1937 in Kenmare. In 1941, they moved temporarily to the Badten farm near Stratford, SD and then relocated to Snoqualmie, Washington, through the encouragement of members of the Badtens who resided in the Snoqualmie Valley. For one year, Carl worked for the Snoqualmie bakery and then, in 1942, he was hired by Weyerhaeuser Timber Company and the family moved into a Company house on Riverside Drive, in Snoqualmie Falls. Carl's second son, William (1944), was adopted by Arthur and Margaret Bauer. Their last child, Dorothy, was born in Snoqualmie Falls in 1946. Carl, who became Superintendent of the Dry Kiln Department, remained with Weyerhaeuser until his retirement in 1976. Carl and Alice then moved to Snoqualmie and remained there until they moved to The Hearthstone Cottage in East Wenatchee. Alice passed away there in 1997. Carl remained there until his passing. Their son, Eugene, lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife Anna. He is a retired professor of archaeology who now is a mosaic artist and instructor. Marilyn is married to Wayne Wyse, an insurance agent in Wenatchee. William, an author and playwright, lives in Tacoma. Dorothy, whose husband Dennis is deceased, lives in North Bend, Oregon. In all, Carl leaves behind four children, 15 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, and one second great grandchild. In September of this year, Carl's cremated remains will be spread at the site of their long-time home in Snoqualmie Falls, in like manner as Alice's remains in 1997. Family and friends will participate in this recognition of Carl's long and productive life.

Carl Nelson Sterud

November 9, 1911 - January 27, 2011