Donald and Carole Flatau

Memorial Service announcement for Donald and Carole Flatau formerly of Valley City, ND. Donald E. Flatau, 90, passed away October 13, 2016 at his home in Utah. Carole J. Flatau, 85, passed away October 2, 2020 in Knoxville, IA. Visitation will be held from 12:00pm – 2:00pm Sunday, May 2, 2021 at Oliver-Nathan Funeral Chapel, Valley City, ND. A memorial service will be held 11:00am, Monday, May 3, 2021 at Memory Gardens, Valley City which will be live streamed at https://vimeo.com/530803325 Donald E. Flatau, WWII Veteran, honored husband, loved and respected father, grandfather, great grandfather, and Scout Leader passed away peacefully at his Utah home, with family at hand, Thursday, October 13, 2016 at the age of 90. Born in LaMoure County, North Dakota on October 6, 1926, he graduated from high school in Edgeley, ND and joined the Navy during WWII. After the war, he attended North Dakota State University where he studied economics and agriculture. After graduation, Don accepted a position with the Federal Land Bank Association in Valley City, ND where he met his wife, Carole (Paulson) and raised four children. He was always active in church and community. After Don retired, he moved to Seattle to help his elderly aunts. Don then moved to Layton, Utah, where the winters are mild, and he could be near his youngest son and his family. Carole Joan (two syllables, if you please) Paulson Flatau, was born in Sioux Falls, SD on January 21, 1935 to John and Dorothy Paulson, the fourth of five daughters and one son. Carole died in Knoxville, IA on October 2, 2020. Her family moved to Valley City, ND when Carole was an infant. Valley was “home” for the rest of her life, regardless of other addresses. Her mother was widowed when Carole was 10, leaving Dorothy a single mother with two young girls to rear. Carole always gave her mother great credit for their upbringing. She learned the value of work, education and a bargain under her mother’s watchful eye. Carole never forgot that she was “a child of the depression.” Carole had an actively typical mid-century childhood. Her faith in the Lord was absolute. She was involved in church youth, scholastics and music which became an important part of her life at an early age. Graduating from VCHS in 1952, Carole met and married Donald Flatau in 1954. She continued her education, graduating from VCSTC in 1960. While pursuing her degree, she took the time to have two of their children, Christine and Neil, and began a lifetime as a mother and professional piano teacher. Two more children, Carrie and Alan, made the family complete. Carole was always looking to improve her teaching skills. She joined state and national professional organizations and became nationally recognized. As a local musician, she was a church organist, service club pianist and arts promoter. In 1985, Carole accepted an executive position as Keyboard Instruction Editor for Columbia Picture Publications in Miami, FL. It was a big leap for a small-town girl, but she had what it takes to face the corporate world. She missed her students, but students found her. She was always a teacher. Carole always planned to return to Valley City, and her home, and after 15 years in Miami, she did. Resuming her home-town life, she was busy teaching piano, playing church organ, giving lectures and programs and volunteering. She remained active in national music organizations traveling extensively to promote music education and keeping American Folk Music alive. Noting a need for new teaching pieces of quality and value, Carole started Noteworthy Publications, a music publishing company from her home. She wrote songs, edited and arranged and started building a catalog. Carole recruited and commissioned writers and composers, including her daughters, to write music. Other family members supplied artwork and computer skills, and the company succeeded. Many Noteworthy Publications pieces were chosen for the National Federation of Music Clubs Competition Brochures. Noteworthy Publications is no more, but the legacy lives on, with the catalog in the hands of a new publisher. Her accomplishments continued to be recognized and in 2010 she was inducted into the VCSU Music Hall of Fame. In 2018 Carole had to leave her home due to the ravages of dementia. She had been living in a nursing home in Knoxville, IA where Christine and Carrie live and could visit daily until the pandemic. Carole maintained a positive attitude until the end. Carole is survived by two sisters, Myrtle Elmore of McLean, VA and Janet Morris, Lakeland, FL. She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald and her parents, and three siblings. Donald and Carole are survived by daughters, Christine (Lee) Meyers, Knoxville, IA, Carrie Kraft, Knoxville, IA; sons Neil Flatau, Valley City and Soldotna, Alaska, and Alan (Audra Zdunich), Layton, UT; six grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews, regular and grand. They loved them all! Service arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Oliver-Nathan Funeral Chapel. An online guestbook is available at olivernathanchapel.com

Donald and Carole Flatau

January 21, 1935 - October 2, 2020