Carol Ann Pankratz

Carol was born on March 29, 1959. Her parents were Walter Pete and Marcelline (Gunther) Luebben of Lakefield, Minnesota. After graduating from Windom High School in 1977, Carol married her high school sweetheart, Dale Pankratz, on May 20, 1978. Together, they have 7 children & 6 grandchildren. Children include: Arianne (Brian) Hahn, Austin Pankratz, Bobbielee (Travis) Ratzlaff, Brendan (Jennifer) Pankratz, Brette (Ryan) Davis, Britton (Allie) Pankratz, Sierra Pankratz. Grandchildren include: Gemma & Monroe Hahn, Hayden & Finn Ratzlaff, and Iris & Fox Griffis Pankratz. She attended White Bear Lake Technical College, receiving her dispatcher certificate in May of 1978. Carol was a dispatcher in both the Cottonwood & Watonwon County Sheriff's Office. From 2008 to present, she was a rural mail carrier for the Mountain Lake Post Office. She loved and cherished all of the people she encountered on her route so much--she always spoke so highly of them all & how good they all were to her. Carol loved the beach & traveling, crafting & sewing, line-dancing & music, and being out and about, surrounded by family and friends. She loved going to the beach with Dale & family to escape the cold winters--that was her highlight for the whole year. She lit up the room wherever she went. When presented a dance floor, she would dance the night away and teach everyone else the moves. When at home, we would often find her working in the garden or cooking in the kitchen while listening to Backstreet Boys, Michael Jackson, or Elvis. Carol always talked about her very special friends who were like sisters, and she often looked forward to seeing her brother, sisters, & cousins whom she grew up with, reminiscing about all the wonderful memories they had together. We will always remember Carol as someone who would go above and beyond to make everyone feel special & loved--she carried around a prayer list, always praying for friends and family and adding peoples' names, as needed. She was one of the strongest women we came to know and will always be remembered as such. Those passing before her: Marcelline Luebben, mother, Feb. 2008; Walter (Pete) Luebben, father, November 2003; Bradley Hesch, nephew, July 2004. Visitation 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Sunday, October 27, 2019 Sturm Funeral Home, Mountain Lake Chapel 420 - 10th St. N. Mountain Lake, Minnesota, United States 56159 Visitation 9:30 am - 10:30 am Monday, October 28, 2019 Alliance Missionary Church-Mt Lake 809 - 5th Avenue Mountain Lake, Minnesota, United States 56159 Memorial Service 10:30 am Monday, October 28, 2019 Alliance Missionary Church 809 5th Ave. Mt. Lake, Minnesota, United States 56159 Food and Fellowship Please join the family for a time of food and fellowship immediately following the memorial service at Alliance Missionary Church, Mountain Lake, MN.