Carroll Corcoran

Corcoran, Carroll M.

Carroll M. Corcoran was born on December 2, 1932 in N. Minneapolis to Russell and Jewel Wolfram. She was an only child. Her parents divorced when she was nine years old. Her mother remarried when she was 11 and she then gained a step brother who was one year younger than her. Carroll was not too keen on her new “little brother Chucky” at the time, but eventually they became good friends for the rest of their lives.When Carroll was 17 she noticed a handsome boy who was playing in a neighborhood basketball game. Her friend introduced her to Lyle (Corky) Corcoran, and they soon began dating. 

Carroll and Corky became engaged in November of 1951. A short time later, Corky received his draft notice to join the Army during the Korean War. While he was away, Carroll planned their wedding for late August of 1952. A short time before their wedding day she received word that Corky’s leave to come home to get married had been changed! Carroll managed to rearrange all the wedding plans on short notice and they were happily married on Monday, September 1, 1952. They had a short honeymoon in Duluth and Corky left to fulfill the rest of his service in Germany. While he was still in Germany, their first child, Lynn, was born. During the next 14 years Lorrie, Lee Anne, Dan, Colleen, Cynthia, Mike and Tim joined the family. They built a new home in Crystal in 1964 to raise their family. Corky had a good career as a carpenter and Carroll was a picture perfect domestic Goddess. In 1968 she and her friend decided to take a cake decorating class. Carroll had a wonderful gift for creating art from the time she was a little child, so she found the art of cake decorating very appealing and enjoyable. She began creating cakes in her home kitchen, first for family, but soon her little hobby grew to a full blown professional cake decorating business. She regularly baked and decorated everything from custom made all occasion cakes to gorgeous wedding cakes of every size. Corky helped her deliver and set them up at the venues and photographed every one. He was very proud of his talented wife! Carroll would also enter decorating competitions and earned many awards and ribbons. 

She and her friend Lois taught evening cake decorating classes at Brooklyn Center High School for several years. When her neighbor opened the Dairy Queen in Brooklyn Park on Hwy 52, he hired her in 1985 to decorate the ice cream cakes. Her cakes were in high demand! When the holiday season rolled around, Carroll would bake from scratch many gingerbread houses to decorate and sell. She also made one for each grandchild to decorate on their own. So much fun! One year she had made 50 gingerbread houses by Christmas! She ran her business for over 30 years until a wheat allergy caused her to retire from baking with wheat flour any more.Over the passing years their children were marrying and Tony, the first grandchild, was born in 1977. Eventually they were blessed with 12 awesome grandkids. Carroll’s first great grandchild was born in 2008 and now there are 13, with the newest joining us just this past March. Surely there will be many more over the years to come…Corky retired in 1993 and the two of them began searching for a nice lake on which to build their dream retirement home. They found a good lot on Lake Aaron in Millerville MN and by the fall of 1994 they sold their home in Crystal and moved there. They spent many years full of family fun and also hosting all of their friends at their home on Lake Aaron. They had a revolving door year round for visitors. When Corky died of heart disease in February of 2007, she continued to live in the home she loved so much. She had lots of help from her family and neighbors so she could stay in Millerville as long as possible. 

In 2014, daughter Cindy moved to the lake to help care for her until Cindy’s sudden passing away from a brain hemorrhage in 2020. By then Carroll had also suffered the loss of her beloved Corky, daughter Colleen and youngest son Tim. Dementia had begun to take hold in her mid 80’s and she was no longer able to live on her own. During the Covid pandemic her children took turns spending time at the lake caring for her. In April of 2021 we found a lovely memory care home in Plymouth called Gladys Place where she received wonderful care for over three years until the affects of Alzheimer’s disease caused her to quietly slip away from us in the early morning hours of June 21.

Preceded in death by Husband Lyle; daughters Colleen Cavanagh, Cynthia Corcoran and son Timothy Corcoran. Survived by children Lynn (Steve) Frangier, Lorrie (Jim) Minnich, Lee Anne (Ken) Kufahl, Dan (Geralyn) Corcoran, and Michael (Sara) Corcoran; 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 AM Friday, June 28, 2024 at the Church of St. Bartholomew, 630 E. Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata. Visitation at church one hour prior to Mass. 

Memorials preferred to Glady's Place C/O Gianna Homes.