I was born on September 5, 1962, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the first of four girls born to Gary and Judy Vigen. I attended Belmont and Roosevelt Elementary Schools, South Junior High School, and Central High School, graduating in 1981. My dad was a teacher and a coach at Central, where I also met my future husband, Brad Ludwig.
I attended the University of North Dakota for three years and then transferred to the University of Minnesota, where I earned both my BS and Master’s degrees in elementary education.
In 1988, Brad and I got married and I also began teaching at Gatewood Elementary in the Hopkins School District. We bought a house near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis in 1989 and we had two wonderful sons: Zachary was born in 1993, and Matthew was born in 1996. We moved to Minnetonka in 2001, and both our boys started attending Gatewood. I taught first through sixth grade over a span of 33 years, all at Gatewood, before retiring in 2021.
I was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in January of 2024, which progressed to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in June of 2024. I’d like to thank my hematologist Dr. Bhaskar, Dr. Grover, Dr. Maiti, and the teams of doctors, nurses, and aides who cared for me at Fairview Southdale and St. John’s hospitals, the U of M Medical Center, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. I appreciated everything they did.
I am survived by my husband of 36 years, Brad; our two sons Zachary (Emily) and Matthew; my father Gary Vigen and his partner Millie; my three sisters and their spouses Shelly (Rob) McKay, Heather (Alvin) Butler, and Terri Vigen; by BFFs Kim, Tammy, and Sandy, as well as many other friends and neighbors; and by four aunts and uncles and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. I am also survived by Brad’s siblings and their spouses Karen (Dave) Suemnick, Paul Ludwig, Joni Emery, Myles (Jackie) Ludwig, and John Ludwig. I am predeceased by my mom Judy (Tack) Vigen; many grandparents; my father-in-law Allen (Bud) Ludwig; my mother-in-law Frances (Kroetsch) Ludwig, and my sister-in-law Jeanette Ludwig; along with four loyal rescue dogs Sam, Rory, Fred, and Hunter.
If you would like to honor my memory, please perform three acts of kindness on my behalf to spread light into our little corner of the world.
This life has been a crazy, joyful, and chaotic adventure. Thank you all so much for sharing a part of it with me.
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” Dr. Seuss