Blaine Himmelman

Blaine Fredric Himmelman of Crystal, MN, passed away peacefully on September 30, 2024, at 97 years old. Born on December 25, 1926, Blaine's joyful dedication and service to his family, to his career as a Civil Engineer with the MN Department of Transportation, and to his church were just some of the gifts he shared during his life. Blaine served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946 and was stationed at Pearl Harbor on Oahu for a short time. He met his wife, Carol, at the Mankato State College campus library, he then continued his education and graduated from the University of Minnesota. Blaine and Carol shared a wonderful 51 years of marriage together.

Blaine was so kind to each person he met and always had an interesting story to share; up until his last day, his memory was sharp as a tack, and he could recall small details of events from years past. Blaine took pride to have visited all 50 states. He also had a passion for downhill skiing and traveled out west mountain skiing until he was 86 years old. He took his love for skiing and volunteered for many years as a ski instructor at Highland Hills, teaching adaptive ski lessons for those with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Blaine enjoyed fishing, taking road trips to camp at National Parks across the country with his family, as well as traveling to Germany, with his brother Dale, to dive deeper into their genealogy. Blaine and Carol shared an enthusiasm for Minnesota sports team--especially the MN Twins and Vikings. If a game became too exciting, you could find Blaine watching TV in the living room, while Carol would run into the bathroom to listen to the play-by-play on the radio because it was too hard for her to watch live. Blaine's biggest sources of joy were his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Blaine had a deep faith in God. He spent countless hours volunteering with Carol and spending time with members of the congregation at Calvary Church in Golden Valley, MN. He kept his Daily Devotionals and his Bible close to his side. We are at peace knowing that Blaine and Carol are joyfully reunited and are being taken care of by our Heavenly Father.

Blaine was preceded in death by his wife and love of his life, Carol Jean Himmelman (Johnson), his parents; Fred and Mayme Himmelman: and his sisters Elaine Anderson, Gwynlyn Gant and Donna Southwick.

He is survived by his daughters Laurie (Kim) Boyce and Jan (Michael) Freiborg; his cherished grandchildren Brady Boyce, Kelsey Boyce, Ashley (Justin) Janson and Kirsten (David) Scheller; great grandsons Cameron and Jack; and his brother Dale Himmelman.

There will be a private family burial at a later date.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Folkestone for their great care of Blaine over the last seven years.

Memorials can be made to Folkestone Presbyterian Homes in Wayzata, MN.

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