Char Bolla Stars as Fitness Guru

Cross-country skiing in winter, biking in the summer, conducting exercise classes every Monday morning at church, stuffing the tract racks with health brochures…Charlotte Bolla is Gethsemane’s energetic fitness guru.

As a kid growing up in New Ulm, Char was a tree-climbing tomboy, and decades later the image hasn’t changed much.

Char’s dad, Ben Krahn, was in the monument business; her mother, Meta, worked as a secretary. They had met at a wedding in Milwaukee before settling down in New Ulm. Char’s sister, born with spina bifida, died at age two, and she had one older brother, Roy. The family made their home in an apartment above the monument shop.

“At New Ulm public high school I tried everything,” she recalls, “badminton, softball, the junior play…”

She was college age when all the boys began leaving for World War II military service, and Char signed on to the Cadet Nursing program at the University of Minnesota, training at General Hospital. After graduation in 1946 she earned $10 a day caring for polio patients at the University Hospital.

A fellow nurse, Marie Bolla, invited Char to her home for dinner. Marie’s brother John was off somewhere with the Navy, but his family and Char “got to look each other over.” She became Mrs. John Bolla in 1947.

After his Navy discharge, John became an accountant, then comptroller for Farmers and Mechanics Bank.

Char’s nursing career was put on hold when she became pregnant with Anne. As three more girls and a boy filled their nest, she was content to be a stay-at-home mom. When the kids were all in school she began a 20-year service as a nurse practitioner for Planned Parenthood.

When the family outgrew their house on Beard Avenue South in Minneapolis they moved to April Lane in Hopkins. Their church for five years was Zion Lutheran, but Char’s good friend and neighbor, Virginia Prior, lobbied enthusiastically for Gethsemane, showering her with parish literature and inviting her to attend. Eighteen years ago the Bollas transferred to Gethsemane. In her new church home, Char joined Virginia’s circle and sang alto in the church choir.

It was Merle Knutson who set up a parish nursing program at Gethsemane. It was natural for Char to work with Merle. She took a preparation course, then took over the part-time position as parish nurse in 2000.

“It was rewarding,” she recalls. She kept in contact with those on the sick list, did blood pressure checks, assisted with services of healing, and promoted the use of Life Line for members living alone. Char has allowed her RN accreditation to expire and no longer holds the position, but she believes in the work. Although it’s no longer officially her assignment, she still feels a special concern for the health of Gethsemane’s members.

Three of the Bolla’s grown children live in Minneapolis, and two in California. Nee, a financial manager for a women’s health group, lives in California. Katie Bolla is a nurse. She lives in California with her carpenter husband, Pat Ford, and their two sons. Jack is single, is lead engineer at a small hotel, and lives in Minneapolis. Jane is divorced, manages several small HMOs and lives in Minneapolis. Mary Bolla and her husband, Don Ness, have two teenagers, 16 and 18. They are also a Minneapolis family, and Mary works for U-Care.

It was Char Bolla who got Gethsemane’s After School for Kids program started six years ago after noting Mizpah’s successful effort. A corps of volunteers works with about 40 kids on Thursday afternoons, helping them with schoolwork, playing games and serving supper to the children and their families. Char also enjoys working with a church group that produces quality, hand-stitched quilts.

Away from church, Char is a backyard birder and an enthusiastic gardener. She is also an avid biker; every year she takes part in the St. Paul Classic bike ride, a marathon achievement.

Charlotte Bolla’s hopes for Gethsemane’s future include a permanent commitment to a parish nurse program. Thus far the money hasn’t been there to support a salaried position, but it is a need that is being recognized by increasing numbers of neighboring churches.