Barbara Brunsvold

Obituary Notice for Barbara Rae Brunsvold

Barbara Rae (Merritt) Brunsvold, age 92, of Chaska, MN, died on Monday, February 10, 2025 at Ridgeview Medical Center, Waconia, MN. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ferd and Elvina (Deen) Merritt, and brother Fred. Survivors include her loving husband, Bill of Chaska, MN; sister-in-law, Barbara Merritt of Chadron, brother-in-law, Mark Brunsvold (Apple Valley, MN), sister-in-law Sonja LaBarge (Greenfield, IA), niece Rae Ann Casurella (Cincinnati, OH), nephew Ron Merritt (Gering, NE), and niece Sheryl McCanless (South Park, PA).

A memorial service will be held on Friday, May 23, 2025, 10:00 AM at Chamberlain Chapel, 1700 US Hwy 20, Chadron, NE, with Deacon Rae Ann Casurella officiating. The inurnment will take place at Greenwood Cemetery in Chadron.

Barbara graduated from Chadron High School and attended Chadron State College (then Nebraska State Teachers College) from 1950-1954. She received a B.S. degree in Medical Technology from the U. of Nebraska-Omaha in 1955 followed by a M.S. degree in Physiological Chemistry at the U. of Minnesota in 1963. Barbara served in various capacities at the U. of Minnesota Medical Technology Dept. until 1972 and attained the title of Project Director for Continuing Ed for Lab Personnel in the MN Society of Medical Technologists. From 1972-1980, she was a lecturer and program director of the Medical Technology Program at the U. of Nevada-Reno where she met Bill. After their marriage in 1980, she moved with Bill to Poughkeepsie, NY and served as Supervisor for MDS Hudson Valley Labs at Vassar Hospital until 1991. Barbara lived in Poughkeepsie for 38 years until moving to Broomfield, CO in 2018, and then to Chaska in June, 2022.