Nels Bertram Carlson
OBITUARY
Nels Carlson was born at home in Farmington, Minnesota, on November 23, 1928, the youngest of Charles A. and Martha Carlson’s 8 children. His oldest sister, Mary, was surprised when she stopped by the house that day, not knowing about his birth. She stayed to help keep the 4 1/2 -pound newborn warm by the oven. Nels talked fondly of his childhood despite the hardships his family faced during the Depression. The family lost everything during the “Bank Holiday” of 1933 and his dad, a bank owner, joined the many people searching for work. Back at home, his mother, Martha, made sure there was food on the back porch for those in need.
Nels was a lazy student and a mischievous kid, but he excelled at taking tests. As soon as he graduated from high school, he enlisted in the army because WWII was not quite over, which brought all five Carlson brothers into the military during WWII. The army had him drive trucks, because he could and the other recruits with him couldn’t. He served in the army at Okinawa (1946-48) and in Korea (1950-52), interleaved with two shifts at Hamline College, where he received his BA in economics in 1956.
In 1955, while working in St. Paul driving a bread delivery truck, Nels met his future wife, LaVerne. She wanted to learn how to drive and Nels was more than happy to help her. The first lesson was in the Minnesota State Fair parking lot but instead of arranging a second driving lesson, Nels asked her for a date to the fair. The story goes that his car got a flat on the way to that first date, so she thought he stood her up and she never let him forget it. (But he really did have a flat.) LaVerne agreed to a second first date of a movie and malt but while Nels made the date, he had forgotten to bring money, and LaVerne had to pay. In spite of that start to the relationship, Nels and LaVerne were married soon after he graduated from Hamline. Straightaway they drove cross-country to California, where LaVerne had a teaching job lined up.
After a year in California working on the GM assembly line, Nels went back to school to get a teaching credential, followed by a Master in Education from USC in 1958, and from then on made his career in public education. He worked as a teacher and then as a vice principal in Oxnard for 4 years. From there he took on the school principal job in Idyllwild, CA, in the Hemet Unified School District. He spent the remainder of his career with Hemet USD, as principal, administrator, and a few years teaching middle school before he retired in 1986. Nels loved kids and had a soft spot in his heart for the ones who were a little bit of trouble. He was always glad to hear what the kids from his schools and classes had done with their lives.
His interest in people went beyond his family and students. He enjoyed people watching wherever he went, from the local diner to New York City, with special affection for visiting the San Diego bay where he and LaVerne spent many hours chatting about people walking past, ships, and the Navy activities on Coronado.
Nels spent the years after retirement first supporting LaVerne’s career as a school administrator. LaVerne had been good-natured about Nels’ impulse car purchases over the years and this period gave them more time to travel the country, whether by car, motorcycle or RV. They enjoyed RV travel with the Diego Drifters, especially driving their trailer to the desert. Nels and LaVerne lived for 26 years with their daughter, Jeannette, whose two children often accompanied Nels and LaVerne on cross country travel.
Nels will be deeply missed by his daughters, Jeannette, Martha, and Kjirste, as well as their spouses, his 7 grandchildren, his sister Lois Carlson, sister-in-law Ardys Stadler, and extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by LaVerne, his beloved wife of 67 years, who died on April 23, 2024.