ANN E. BORKEN

Ann E. Borken, 100, of Duluth died peacefully in her sleep on May 2, 2012 at Diamond Willow Assisted Living in Proctor.

She was born on Dec. 20, 1911 on her parents farm near Meadowlands, Minnesota. She was an elementary school teacher in the St.Louis County School System and the Duluth School System, where she taught first grade most of the time.

During the 1940s, Ann took a job teaching soldiers returning from battle in World War II. The effects of war were severe, and many had to re-learn basic skills, like reading. She had graduated from Duluth State Teachers College a few years earlier and had begun what was to become a lifetime career in elementary education. Although the teaching approach she needed to use was much more one-on-one than with children, the basic curriculum was the same. She never forgot this experience.

Ann's two sisters also graduated from Duluth State Teachers College. They grew up on the family farm near Meadowlands. Their parents immigrated from Sweden and Finland and successfully homesteaded the farm, literally creating it from wilderness on the shores of the Whiteface River.

The Duluth State Teachers College eventually became UMD, and Ann went back to school to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education in the 1960s. Several years ago, she established a scholarship fund which supports students pursuing an Elementary Education Degree at UMD.

Her husband Ben taught history and was a school administrator in the St. Louis County system. He received a promotion to supervisor and assistant superintendent in 1954, and Ben and Ann moved to Duluth at that time. They build a house in Hunter's Park. Ben passed away in 1984. Ann moved to the Pines III Assisted Living facility in the late 1990's and moved from there to Diamond Willow several years ago.

Ann loved to read. Until very recently, she read one or two books a week, and she read the paper every day. She lived a full life and passed away peacefully.

Preceding Ann in death were her husband, Ben Borken; a son who died in infancy, James Carson Borken; parents, August Jochim and Lydia Koskinen Jochim; two sisters, Ellen Daufney and Louise Garland; and a nephew, Daniel Garland.

Surviving family includes her son, Dr. Richard Borken and his wife Elizabeth Borken of Lake Vermilion, and her granddaughter Sara Borken of La Mesa, California.

FUNERAL SERVICE: 2 p.m. Thursday, May 10 at Glen Avon Presbyterian Church, 2105 Woodland Ave in Duluth. Visitation one hour prior to the service. Burial at Park Hill Cemetery in Duluth. The family requests that memorials be made in lieu of flowers. Memorials are preferred to the University of Minnesota Foundation in support of the Ann Borken Scholarship at UMD. Services entrusted to First Memorial Funeral Chapel, 218-624-5050.

Tags: obituaries

Sign the guestbook (4 comments)

Comments posted on this page do not reflect opinions of Forum Communications Company. Forum Communications Company does not endorse and is not responsible for any statement, opinion, advice given or made. All replies are subject to approval and must follow Forum Communications Company guidelines concerning statements of libel, personal attacks or defamation of character. Replies in the "Talk About It" section that criticize a person by name may not be posted, unless that person is openly involved in a public issue. Comments written in all capital letters or bold print will not be considered for inclusion in the forum.

Terms & Conditions