Karel Ruth Osell

My mom passed away 10/19/2022, I give thanks for her impact. The artist known for being a painter of light gives me a beginning in my description of mom. Her smile radiated and lit up her room for all to observe and see contentment displayed. I believe she was at peace knowing the Lord had a room for her and joy in reuniting her with loved ones. The legacy mom left was one of love for family. She nurtured and did all she knew to encourage and build up in whatever endeavor we chose. After her three boys departed, she poured herself into babysitting neighbors, and then on to her grandchildren. I truly enjoy hearing stories told by recipients of Mom's care.
Another gift mom regularly shared was gratitude in all places and circumstances. At age 74 she chose to live in an assisted living complex of a church home and described it like, "Christmas everyday!". She got involved and appreciated the creative activities. She led the current events discussion and brought in guest speakers. She got to know her neighbors and wrote how assisted living drew her out more to prevent isolation of independent or apartment life. Mom recognized the talents of her neighbors, she wrote up approximately 40 biographies of residents and recruited them to use and share the gifts they had. She knew in later years that time passes even more quickly and asked herself regularly, "what have I accomplished today?". With gratitude I treasure the legacy she has left family and friends.

I will end with her own autobiography, she wrote approximately 25 years ago, while living at Concordia Arms, assisted living, with thanks for a master storyteller.

"Kind of Dumb and Kind of Smart"
Karel Ruth Bennett Osell
I was born November 22nd 1936, in my favorite city - Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My father, Hugh D Bennett, worked for the US Forest Service and was in charge of fire prevention and timber production in Region 9. I grew up close to my father and each Saturday afternoon we went to the national theater to a 12-cent movie. When I was in fifth grade and we lived with Grandma Thorsen, he told me my household task was to vacuum the upstairs and downstairs of the house once a week. I felt good about being a contributing member of the household. Throughout my childhood my father gave me assignments that taught me responsibility (shoveling snow in winter, pulling weeds in the garden, planting trees, and when I was 16 painting our house-- I think I was the son he never had!

My mother, Ruth Thorsen Bennett, was 42 when I was born. She was a very capable woman who lived before her time. She worked for the State Department and had been Secretary to the Council General of the Embassy in Tokyo Japan during the 1920's. Mother had impeccable good taste. She loved to entertain in the highest fashion and we grew up with parties. My mother was very popular. She lived to be 101. One of mother's principles that she shared with me in the last years of her life was this. "Ask yourself each night before you go to bed, what did I accomplish today?". Well, I began trying this and it does increase your productivity.

My Norwegian grandmother, Engel Amelia Thorsen and most of mother's brothers and sisters lived in the Milwaukee-Chicago area. There were seven cousins, and we had a great time together. We spent weekends at each other's homes. My sister, Barb, was the oldest grandchild and each Christmas she produced and directed a colorful children's skit with all our cousins participating. She had my 13-year-old cousin, Joan, who was very awkward and klutzy dance to "The Falling Leaves of Autumn.". When I was nine she had me singing from Rogers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma the songs "Poor Jud is Dead", and "I Can't Say No". It was so funny, my aunt's and uncles would laugh till they cried. Some of my cousins have carried on this tradition each Christmas with their own children. It was lots of fun.

When I was 12 dad took the job as Director of Keep Minnesota Green and we moved to St Paul. I graduated from Wilson High School in 1954 where I enjoyed acting in "Our Town" and "Green Pastures", was Class Secretary, Editor of our school newspaper, and went to Girls State. My father bought a tree farm in 1950. We spent the next 4 years going to the Grandy Pines each weekend. Mother, dad, Barb and I all cooperated and work together planting trees, painting the old farmhouse on the outside and inside wallpapering. We had lots of company and the city girls enjoyed the free pleasures of country living. Every child should have this wonderful experience that my parents afforded us.

In 1958 I graduated from the University of Minnesota receiving a Bachelor's in Science in Elementary Education. I taught gifted third graders in the Robbinsdale School District for 2 years. I loved it! Third graders are eager to please their teacher. I went on to teach fifth graders in Elmhurst Illinois. When I was asked to be the penmanship coordinator I then decided to get married.
Summers when I wasn't teaching, I attended graduate school in Speech Pathology at the University of Colorado in Boulder and then Portland State University in Oregon. I had gotten interested in this field after having a severe stutterer in my third grade class.

In 1962 I married my college sweetheart and we produced three fine sons --- Mark, Hugh and Paul. All have sterling character. Mark is the "personality" kid who still has the first friend he ever made as a good friend. He is a top salesman for McCloud USA, a member of the Lutheran Church, it is very active in St Cloud humanitarian group much like Rotary Club.
Hugh has worked for the Federal Reserve Bank for 15 years. He has done a lot of mentoring work for the Boy Scouts, Big Brothers, Cub Scouts and with the University International students. He has also traveled around the world seeing Europe and the Holy Land.

Paul graduated from West Point. He served in the Panama invasion, the Gulf war, and was in administration in an army hospital in Heidelberg Germany. He retired from army life and currently is a district manager for a pharmaceutical company. One of my proudest moments was when I attended Paul's graduation from West Point Military Academy in 1988. President Bush and Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger where the keynote speakers. It was an honor and I knew I had done something right as a parent.

Life has had its ups and downs as anyone's life does, but I consider myself very fortunate. As my shy four year old grandson, Jonathan, told me after I gave him a tour of Concordia Arms. --"you have a nice place to live, Grandma". It is with gratitude that I live here.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, November 19, 2022, 10:00 AM at Episcopal Homes, 1840 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55104. There will be a light lunch to follow.