Obituary for Dolores Kvamme

Dolores Ann Kvamme, born Oct 10, 1930, in Minneapolis, MN passed away peacefully in the presence of her son on April 12, 2023 at her home in Brooklyn Park, MN. She is survived by her son Daniel (Margy), granddaughter Sharon (Zach) Haeg and grandson Eric, and great grandkids Blake, Logan, & Elijah. She was preceded in death by her husband, Art; daughter, Diane Nokk; son-in-law, Tom Nokk; father and mother John and Olga Madsen; and twin sister Betty.

After graduation from Patrick Henry High School Dolores went to school for a Medical Technician degree and began work at the U of MN as a tissue tech and later as a lab tech at a private doctor’s office. Olga, her mother, had a Thanksgiving dinner at which she invited a family friend over and her nephew, Art Kvamme, that was boarding with her while attending the U of MN. They began dating very soon after and were married the next summer. They loved to go on fishing trips together which included their honeymoon. The lived with her mom while saving up money to build on a plot of land Art had purchased in Brooklyn Park.

Art and a friend, Ardell Larsen, helped each other build their homes in Brooklyn Park and finished them just as Dan came along and Dolores quit her lab job to devote her attention to her son. Diane came along 2 ½ years later. Dolores developed her homemaking skills from an early age with the passing of her father at the age of 12. She passed many of these skills on to her children. She also developed into an exceptional florist working in the family business, Madsen Floral, with her mother and sister. She continued working for the family business on a part time basis until it was sold in 1984.

Dolores picked up golf and enjoyed playing with Art and many of their friends. She loved taking the kids fishing on weeklong trips to Canada and as the kids got older Art and Dolores took up skiing to keep up with the kids. Eventually Art and Dolores purchased a condo in Vail, Colorado for winter ski trips and summer vacation getaways. Dolores and Art loved to travel and were able to take trips to Hawaii, the Bahamas, and Alaska.

In 1976 Art moved the family to Athens, Greece for business. Dolores entertained many business guests which remain friends to this day. While spending the year in Greece she also visited Egypt and traveled thru Europe on the return trip home.

As the kids moved out and Art took early retirement Dolores started spending more time in the winter golfing with Art in Florida. She entertained guests frequently after they bought a condo in Ft. Myers but didn’t like the humidity as much as Art.

Dolores loved to cook, tend to her flower beds around the house, entertaining guests, and being a member of the Lady Lions until her passing. Later in life she was able to devote her energy to playing with and spoiling her grandkids. Eventually this spilled over to great grandkids.

Funeral Service 11AM Thursday, April 20, 2023 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 7217 W Broadway Ave, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 with visitation 1 hour prior to the service. Interment at Glen Haven Memorial Gardens. Memorials preferred to donor's favorite charity.