Obituary of Roy F. Carlson

CW3 Roy F. Carlson (United States Army, Retired), of Ozark, Alabama, died Tuesday, March 31, 2015, after a short illness. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for CW3 Carlson 10:00 A. M. Monday, April 6, 2015, in St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church in Ozark with Reverend Frederick Boni officiating. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Memory Gardens with Full Military Honors, Holman Funeral Home and Cremations of Ozark directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Sunday from 3:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. CW3 Carlson was born January 1, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York to the late John Ferdinand Carlson and Beda Maria Spong Carlson. In 1944 at the age of sixteen, Roy quit high school to join the United States Maritime Service and upon graduation shipped out as a seaman on an oil tanker (Axtell J. Byles) to Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. He returned to high school due to severe sea-sickness affliction and subsequently graduated. He married Patricia Shott in 1946 and finished one semester at Oswego Teachers College in New York. He enlisted in the United States Army in July 1948 and spent five years as a paratrooper. While in service he continued his college education during off-duty hours which resulted in his obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Omaha in Nebraska, for a final semester in the “Bootstrap Program”. In 1969 he retired from the United States Army with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) as a criminal investigator and enrolled in Troy State College to gain a teacher’s certificate. He started teaching social studies in the Ozark City School System in 1970 and retired following nineteen years of teaching. Continuing his night classes at Troy University while teaching, Roy obtained an Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S). With that degree and previous ones, Roy was qualified to be a School System Superintendent, as well as a teacher, counselor and principal. Pursuing an education paid off for Roy in his military and civilian careers. Since retiring, he and his wife enjoyed foreign travel, and while at home he could be found at Ozark’s tennis courts and the Fort Rucker golf course or bowling alleys. A hip replacement ended his tennis playing. Survivors include his wife, Patricia Carlson of Ozark; eight children, Michael (Laura) of Brooklyn, NY, James (Alicia) of Los Angeles, CA, Peter of Panama City, FL, Gary (Karen) of Enterprise, AL, Barbara, Janice (Michael), K. C. (Larry), and Laura (Don) of Columbus, GA; seven grandchildren, Erin, Tracy, Eric, Scott, Jenna, Chelsea, and Caroline; and seven great grandchildren, Brevyn, Savanah, Aniah, Kyla, Karis, Lorna, and Judson. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Ozark-Dale County Humane Society, P. O. Box 2502, Ozark, AL 36361. Monday, April 6, 2015, St. John’s Church, Ozark, AL Eulogy in Honor of Roy F. Carlson, B.A., M.A., Ed.S. Chief Warrant Officer 3, U.S. Army, Ret. 82nd Airborne, 8th Special Forces, C.I.D. January 1, 1928 - March 31, 2015 Thank you all very much for being here. First of all, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Michael Roy Carlson, the last of the Roys in this family. I’m Mom and Dad’s oldest child. I’m brother to four girls: Barbara, Jan, KC, and Laura, and three boys: Jimmy, Pete, and Gary. Allow me to acknowledge two people who couldn’t be here today: Mrs. Ruth Donohoo, our next-door neighbor in Ozark since 1959. She turns 95 in June. And Leif Ericson, a fellow Swede who has been Dad’s best friend since they were both in the sixth grade in Brooklyn. Leif lives in south Florida. Now, let me say some thank yous, please. Chelsea, Jim, Larry, and KC: Thank you for the wonderful media show about Dad and our whole family. Adrian and all the staff at Holman Funeral Home, thank you for yesterday’s viewing and all the other services you’ve provided. Father Fred Boni, thank you for all the emotional help you’ve provided and, of course, for this funeral Mass today. Thank you to the pallbearers: Gary Carlson, Larry Falk, Larry Long, Mike Nolan, Scott Nolan, and Alan Peavey. Thank you to the Alabama Patriot Guard Riders standing outside at attention with their flags, led by Howard Swain. Thank you, in advance, to the 1-145 Honor Detachment from Ft. Rucker who will honor Dad with a 6-gun salute and “Taps” at Woodlawn Cemetery. The Team Leader is WO-1 Nicholas Bentley. Thank you to everyone who provided flowers, plants, and food. Thank you to everyone who came to the Holman Funeral Home yesterday. It was so nice to meet you, many of you for the first time. I asked how each of you knew Pat and Roy, and I heard: Through church, teaching, tennis, golf, bowling, D.A. Smith, Carroll High, Troy University, the Army, the animal shelter, and through playing bridge and other card games. Finally, of course, thank all of you for being here today. You’ve come from near and far, and our family appreciates your taking time off to be here. Now, let me say a few things about my father. First of all, what can I tell you about Dad that he hasn’t already told you himself?! (Thank you, Barbara.) Dad loved to tell everyone about himself and his family. He was an open book. And every time you opened the book, he was looking at you with that big, friendly grin. He loved being in photos; we all agree that he actually improved a photo just by being in it. And he loved taking photos. Everywhere he traveled, he took lots of pictures. My father was a great man. Like your father. And your father. Most people will say, Well, he wasn’t a great man like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. He wasn’t a great man like Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. He wasn’t a great man like Jim Thorpe or Babe Ruth. And I will say, my father was a great man like all of them—combined! To me, he was the greatest man that ever lived. I hope that each of you believes the same thing about your own father. We grew up never wanting for anything. We had great Christmases and great birthdays. We were always well fed and almost always healthy. Dad bought all kinds of things for us. He always thought of us kids. He got me a beautiful 3-speed English racer one year. He bought a beautiful horse for Jan. He bought a ski boat so we could go boating and skiing at Lake Tholocco. He bought us an in-ground swimming pool with a diving board for our back yard. Dad was our teacher. He taught us how to skate, ride bikes, and play baseball, football, and tennis. He taught us how to swim and ski. Somehow, even with eight kids, a wife, and cats and dogs—not to mention his work obligations— he always found time to give each of us all the attention and love we could ask for. Dad loved life. He loved his family, he loved his friends, he loved games and sports, and he loved animals. Dad loved to have fun; he loved a good laugh. He used to drive our Plymouth station wagon with his knees. He’d hold up both hands and say, “Look, kids, no hands”; Mom would yell at him. He used to grab our nose and then show it to us—“I’ve got your nose!” He used to “chop off” his finger and show us his chopped finger. Dad loved to write. He wrote many loving poems TO Mom and ABOUT Mom. And after retiring from teaching, whenever he and Mom used to travel (they loved cruise ships), Dad would write an article about their trip, and he would mail it to the Southern Star. Dad wrote many Letters to the Editor that were published in the Dothan Eagle, Army Times, and elsewhere. Dad read a lot. He had a lot of opinions and always said his mind. He always stood up for what he felt was right. He never bowed down to anyone. He never backed down to anyone. He was only 175 pounds, but he was always ready to back up his words and his feelings with his fists. As kids, we always felt safe with Dad around. And we always felt that Dad was there for us. He taught us many things besides “fun” things. He taught us to study and to work hard. He taught us that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. He taught us that quitters never win. He taught us to always try our best. He was always eager to go places and do things. For the last 10 years, he spent many summer days on his jet-ski at Lake Tholocco. He golfed and bowled almost every week. He traveled all over the world with Mom and others in the family. Dad always thought of us kids, but he was always one OF the kids, too. People who met him or knew him always marveled at his youthfulness, humor, and energy. Few things made Dad happier than a good bargain. About 20 years ago, he bought six steel gray typewriters, each bigger and heavier than a bowling ball. Why? Because they were on sale! Why six? Three for typing, and three for spare parts! Who were they for? Well, the kids, of course. The one thing that made Dad happier than a good deal on typewriters was a good deal on a meal. His favorite four words were: All You Can Eat. The bigger the discount, the better the taste. I have my own memories of Dad, but the other kids have their thoughts and memories, too. Barbara: Dad always fancied himself as a player; how he loved the ladies! But when it came time to be serious, he made sure that he employed hard work and commitment to any job that he tackled. He also conveyed that commitment to his children. He loved animals and even saved some of that love for his kids. Some of us feel that the dogs and cats got top billing! He was a father who took time to be involved in his family’s upbringing. And that was not an easy feat, having eight of us. He and I loved music, and he took me with him to many music shows. That is a memory that we share together. I love you, Dad. Janice: Dad sooooo enjoyed laughing— he imitated Ray Stevens when he was in Europe with me and Mom. My sides were aching from laughing so much. He was a funny guy! I used to hope that I had friends like my parents when I grew up. Laura and I were driving Dad home in January and talking about a variety of things when he said sheepishly, “You’ll miss me when I’m gone.” How very, very true! KC: Dad left a huge hole in our hearts and an unimaginable emptiness in our lives. He would get a kick out of how much we respected and cherished him. Larry told me he aspires to be as great a father, husband, and man that Dad was. I smile when I think of Dad in Heaven, surrounded by animals, front row seats to awesome sunsets, days of perfect golf and weather. I know he’s in heaven because he loved Mom, and Mom knows God personally. Our father was an amazing man, the real deal. No finer man have I met in my lifetime and, as Pete would say, I don’t ever expect to meet one finer. We love you, Dad. You left nothing unfinished except your love for Mom, and we all know that will be an everlasting love story. Laura: At Aunt Connie’s memorial service last year, the priest emphasized that the dash (-) between the date of birth and date of death was the most important part of a person’s life, and we all know that Dad’s dash was so great! He had fun with Mom, he had fun with his kids, he loved to scare us when we were watching spooky movies, loved to buy us things, he loved to travel, and he just loved life! He didn’t have one sport he loved...he had five! He loved music, so he bought us all instruments so we could learn to play; then he learned to play the piano himself. He packed so much in to every spare moment, it would be impossible to follow in his steps...Dad’s dash was so great! He will be remembered in our hearts, and he will be missed so much. Jimmy: Dad was a good guy, always encouraging us to do our best and for us to try to do the right thing. Thanks Dad, for the good direction. May God’s grace be with you forever. Pete: Dad, I’ll always remember this about your funeral. Jan was crying her eyes out while kneeling 18 inches from you. I sat in the first pew and watched her while she wept. I let it be for five minutes. Then I said, “Jan, come here.” She did. We held each other close for 10 minutes—her crying and me trying not to cry. Gary: I am so very sad to have lost my Dad, my teacher, my friend and confidant. He really did as much as anyone possibly could raising eight children, providing for them spiritually, intellectually, physically, and financially. We will miss his playfulness, his thoughtfulness, his humor, wit, and poetry. He was a man's man, but he had great compassion and love for people and animals alike. Crying over the loss of family pets was not uncommon, and countless animals crossed the road safely due to his help. He was a true patriot, loved the USA, and was always a proud American, here at home or on his trips abroad. But with all his accomplishments, education, and experience, the single thing that I will always remember most is how much he loved my Mother. That’s it. Dad had a great life. He was a great man, and he and Mom made a great couple. Earlier, I mentioned that Dad’s favorite four words were All You Can Eat. His favorite three words had nothing to do with food, but they had everything to do with Mom: “I love you.” How many times, and how many ways, did he say that to her in the last 69 years? Now Dad’s up there, and Mom’s down here. But it’s only a matter of time, Mom, before you’ll be holding his hand. It’s only a matter of time before you’ll both be in heaven, never to be apart again. Service Information