Susan I. Haugland

Susan I. Haugland, age 80 of Le Sueur, passed away at her lake home in Alexandria, MN on Friday, September 6, 2024. Memorial service will be on Friday, September 20th at 11 am at First Lutheran Church in Le Sueur. Visitation will be held Thursday, September 19th from 5-7 pm at Kolden Funeral Home in Le Sueur and one hour before the service at the church.  Lunch will be provided following the service.

Susan was born on March 9, 1944 to Marvin and Merriam (Walstad) Skrukrud in Granite Falls, MN. She graduated from Granite Falls High School in 1962. She was very active in school as a cheerleader and majorette, and made many lifelong friends and memories. She also met her future husband Bruce while there. She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN in 1966 with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She married Bruce Haugland on January 7, 1967 at Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus College during a Minnesota blizzard. They moved to Le Sueur in 1967 and spent their years there making many close friends and raising two daughters, Mary Sue and Katherine.

She taught kindergarten and touched many lives, primarily in Le Sueur and Belle Plaine. She was a well loved and respected teacher. She took great pride in planning and coming up with new curriculum ideas to keep the kids excited about learning. She loved reading and using music and catchy songs to teach. She adored each of her kindergarten students, and she cherished her memories with them.

Susan loved the lake and spent many summers in the Alexandria area on Lake Miltona as a child and later on at Lake Carlos, where she taught her family and grandchildren to love the lake as much as she did. Many hours were spent boating, swimming, floating, playing games, and making s’mores at the campfire. Many friends and family will fondly remember happy hours on the Haugland deck with Susan and Bruce.

Following retirement, Susan enjoyed spending winters in Arizona in Apache Junction.  She made many new friends, spent time with her special cousin Karla, and connected with lifelong friends who also wintered in Arizona. She loved the weather, mountain views, pool, outdoor shopping, and visits from family.

Susan was an avid fan of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and she enjoyed reading and going to the movies, playing Rack-o, Rummy Royal and Sequence with the grandkids, and going out to eat with family and friends. Her love for shoes was unmatched and her love for shopping was well known. Her 15 minute “run ins” often turned into 1 ½ hour shopping sprees while Bruce circled the parking lot. More than anything, she loved spending time with her family and grandchildren. She rarely missed an activity, game, recital or event for any of them. She was incredibly proud of her children and grandchildren, and she loved sharing stories about them. She loved to laugh and will always be remembered for her smile, positive attitude and ability to have a good time.

She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Bruce of Le Sueur; children, Mary Sue Meger (Jerry) of Belle Plaine and Katherine Gatchell (Dan) of Eden Prairie, her grandchildren, Jacob, Abby and Alex Meger, and Madison and Britta Gatchell, granddogs Lola and Jasper, sisters and brothers-in-law Susie and Roger Cole and Loren and Wanda Haugland, step brother-in-law DuWayne Johnson, many nieces and nephews, as well as extended family and friends.

Susan is preceded in death by her parents Marvin and Merriam Skrukrud, mother and father-in-law Sigurd and Selma Haugland, step mother Sylvia Skrukrud and step sister Joan Johnson, and beloved pet dogs Tori, Molly, Popeye, and Dibby.

Memorials may be made to the Rheumatology Research Foundation or to an organization that benefits children’s education.