Audrey Louise Palmquist (Aga)

Audrey Louise Palmquist (Aga) passed away on September 9, 2014, at the Jones Harrison Assisted Living facility after a stroke. She was a music teacher, choir director, pianist, and church organist. It is difficult to calculate the number of lives she touched through music. She was born in Nelson, Minnesota on September 12, 1932, to P.O. and Jennie (Peterson) Johnson. She was the youngest of seven children. Musically inclined from an early age, Audrey began playing organ at the Fahlun Lutheran Church when she was 13 years old, and continued to play for church services and church choirs almost continually for more than 65 years, until her retirement as the Director of Music at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Garfield in December, 2013. After graduating from the Alexandria High School in 1946, she studied music at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, teaching piano and playing organ to help put her self through school. Audrey married William C. Palmquist on June 13, 1954, and they moved to Spring Grove, Minnesota where Bill completed his pastoral internship. As Bill and Audrey moved from parish to parish in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, they were effectively a joint ministry, with Bill in the pulpit, and Audrey leading choirs and playing organ for the services. Audrey also taught music extensively – first as a private piano teacher starting when she was still in high school, and then as public school music teacher in Le Center, Minnesota in 1965, teaching music to all grades, often pushing the piano from room to room. She taught in the public schools in Oshkosh, WI and Delmar, Iowa as well. Directing choirs led to the musical direction for the theater, and Audrey began to both direct and perform in a variety of musical theater performances. In Maquoketa, Iowa, Audrey frequently performed with the Peace Pipe Players. In St. Olaf, Iowa, she performed with and directed the Sunday Morning News. Bill died of cancer shortly after their retirement to the Alexandria community. Audrey continued to be active in music in both the church and the community, and met her second husband Bruce Aga through that music community. Bruce and Audrey were married on February 18, 2001, and they performed at special events and concerts together in the Alexandria area until Bruce’s death in 2011. She was also actively involved with many volunteer activities in the community. She is survived by her children and their spouses – Michael (Debra) Palmquist of Minneapolis and Tim (Phoebe) Palmquist of Minneapolis; Mary (Terry) Flood of Portland, OR and Tira Palmquist (Phil Thompson) of Irvine, CA; grandchildren Erika (Troy Smith) Palmquist, Lia Palmquist, Julian Palmquist, Gabe (Sarah) Palmquist, Dan (Julie) Flood, Maja Palmquist and Simone Davis; and great-grandchildren, Siri, Linnea and Karina Smith and Audrey Flood. She is also survived by her sisters Margaret Anderson and Lorayne Brown. A memorial service is planned at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Garfield, MN on Saturday, September 13th at 1 p.m. Instead of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in her name to one of the following charities: Lutheran Social Services, Habitat for Humanity, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation or the Alexandria Education Foundation.

Audrey Louise Palmquist (Aga)

September 12, 1932 - September 9, 2014