Esther Elizabeth Braafladt's Obituary
Esther Elizabeth Braafladt completed her life journey and joined her Lord in heaven on November 19, 2020.
Esther was born on October 6, 1930, in the farmhouse of her parents, Ben and Selma (Shefveland) Fisher, in Newfolden, Minnesota. She was the youngest of four siblings, including her sister Iola and brothers Charles and Burton. Esther always spoke fondly of her days growing up on a farm. She helped care for the animals and tended the garden at an early age. She especially remembered the times she shared laughing and telling stories with Iola while using the family’s “two-holer” outhouse.
Esther’s mother had been a teacher. It was known by everyone in the community that the Fisher children were proficient readers and writers before they started school. Esther excelled in her education. She was class valedictorian when she graduated from high school in 1947. When she took the Minnesota college entrance exams, she achieved the highest score in the state in the English section. Esther received her teaching degree from Bemidji State Teachers College, and, like all her siblings, she became a teacher.
Esther taught school for seven years, and during her summers off, she enjoyed traveling with her girlfriends throughout the states. In 1955, she met Paul Braafladt, a Lutheran seminary student completing his internship. After his graduation, they were married on June 3, 1956. They moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, where Paul served as a military chaplain at Ellsworth Air Force base. Esther taught at the base school and played piano for Sunday church services. Her son Peter was born on base in 1958. Her daughter, Carol, was born in 1961, after they had moved to Puyallup, Washington.
Esther helped support their young family by working for the Head Start Program in Berkley, California, doing substitute teaching in Renton, Washington, and eventually becoming the long-time bookkeeper for a dental practice in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.
Peter and Carol remember their mom as full-time parent. She gave them her zest for learning, provided unconditional love and support, and taught them to be compassionate towards others and resilient in facing adversity. According to Peter and Carol, she always knew how to say the right thing that would heal their emotional aches. They remember their mother often taking them aside, even in their most rebellious moments, and asking, “Tell me the secrets of your heart.”
After Esther and Paul retired in 1993, they traveled extensively. A favorite trip was to Norway, Esther’s heritage homeland. Esther was proud to say she was 100% Norwegian, and her family described her as a calm, loving, warm-hearted woman. She cherished and valued the company of family and friends. They enjoyed talking with her because she was such an excellent listener and truly enjoyed connecting with people. She always had a profound and memorable comment to make.
Further into retirement, Esther spent time reading each day, and she especially liked writing and reading poetry. In addition, she volunteered as a reading tutor for children at the neighborhood elementary school. She also enjoyed playing her piano and socializing at the Renton Senior Center.
In October 2018, Esther and Paul moved to Patriots’ Landing in Dupont, Washington. Esther enjoyed socializing with many residents who shared her background and faith. In October 2020, her health failing, Esther confided to Carol that she was ready to go to heaven. A month later, she died peacefully at her home.
We will miss Esther, but we will always remember her profound faith, love, and quiet piety in her relationship with the Lord Jesus, quick wit, ready smile, compassion for others, and fondness for cookies. She will also be forever appreciated within the family as a fierce competitor when playing the game of Scrabble. Her command of the English language gave her the winning edge.
Esther was buried at Tahoma National Cemetery in Covington, Washington, on December 3, 2020.
Esther was preceded in death by her sister Iola and brothers Charles and Burton. She is survived by her son Peter and wife Kathy Braafladt, daughter Carol and husband Phil Wozniak, grandsons Jacob and wife Laura and Lucas and wife Brooke Braafladt, and great-grandson Noah.
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