Carole J. Birch

Birch, Carole Jean (Cleveland) , singer, choral director, voice and piano teacher, youth leader and beloved mother, wife, and friend passed peacefully into the loving arms of Jesus in the early morning of December 12, 2025 with her two daughters by her side. Born in Charles City, Iowa on November 22nd, 1942, to Norma (Rick) Van Slyke and Felton Cleveland, Carole grew up with big dreams and a song in her heart. Carole’s beautiful soprano voice  led to an opportunity to attend school at Luther College to study music. At Luther she was a Messiah Soloist and a beloved student of Weston Noble. Carole was also a pianist. She received early training from a Juliard trained teacher in Charles City and continued her studies at MacPhail School of Music where she studied with Oksana Bryn and Orville Svien. 

In 1963 Carole moved from Iowa to Minneapolis where she met the love of her life, Bill Birch whom she described as a constant entertainment factory. Together they created a home in Wayzata where they lived for more than 50 years. In that home they extended a warm welcome to humans and animals alike. At any moment their home might be filled with piano and vocal students, their families, traveling choir members, youth who needed a safe home, opera singers, hula dancers, foreign exchange students, flying parakeets, and joyful and beloved dogs, Buffy, Sparkey, Ole, Lena, Bailey, and Lola. Carole was a gifted musician and teacher who had a special talent to encourage and inspire. Over the course of her life she used that gift to inspire youth and adults alike to join the choir, play handbells, and to put on wonderful musicals at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Hobart United Methodist Church, and Bethel United Methodist Church. She was also known for leading yearly youth group trips to Canada where she sailed with youth on Lake of the Woods for weeks at a time with Christian Sailing. In 1986, Carole founded the Wayzata Women’s Chorus.  The choir grew under Carole’s expert direction and soon evolved from a small community choir to a more professional ensemble performing both nationally and internationally. One of her greatest honors was preparing the choir for competition at the International Musical Eisteddfod Competition in Llangollen, Wales in 2011. She also founded the Wayzata Children’s Chorus, a 100 voice children’s chorus. Her collaboration with musicians Mary Fadden and Kay Schroder Hacklander brought her great joy.  Carole lived a life marked by generosity, laughter, music, hospitality, and unwavering love. She touched countless lives, and her legacy will continue to sing on in the hearts of all who knew her.

Carole is preceded in death by her loving husband William Birch, her beloved grandmother, Ethel Rick, parents Norma VanSlyke, step-father Donald VanSlyke (Pop), her biological father Felton Cleveland and step-mother Elaine Cleveland. She is survived by her her three adoring children, William (Dawn) Birch, Jr., Jennifer (Scott) Belz, and Kathryn (Christopher) Gimse and her celebrated, treasured, and beloved grandchildren Christian Boettcher Belz (Jacob), Erik Belz-Brock (Anna), Hanna Gimse, Hope Gimse, and Sage Carole Gimse and many dearly loved nieces and nephews especially Jeff (Karen) Birch, Sarah Birch, Alysha Koumantakis and Renee Jean who have been so close. A celebration of Carole’s life will be held Friday, December 19th at 11:00 am at St. John’s Lutheran Church (4842 Nicollet Avenue S, Minnepolis, MN 55419). Time with the family one hour before at 10 am at St. John’s. Lunch will be served following the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. John’s Lutheran Church, Trouvaille Memory Care, or the Animal Humane Society of Minnesota. 

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