Charlotte Carlson

FUNERAL SERVICES : 2:00 P.M. Thursday May 23rd, 2013 at the Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids, MN.VISITATION : One hour prior to service at the funeral home.INTERMENT : Bethel Cemetery, Hubbard Township, MinnesotaSURVIVORS : November 8, 1916 May 19, 2013 th grade and took care of her father and helped on the farm until she was in her early thirties. Then she met Arvid Carlson in 1950, married him in 1951, and moved with him to his farm just a few miles away, across the river and up the hill. Two daughters followed and a busy life of milking cows, growing flowers and vegetables, sewing, painting, crocheting, quilting. Charlotte always amazed her family and friends with all she did and with her knowledge of words and spelling. She loved game shows and crossword puzzles. After they sold the cows and retired, Arvid and Charlotte enjoyed many years of woodworking together. They also often went out dancing with the neighbors: the Hockett"s, the Johnson"s, the Boyer"s and the Enney"s. Arvid was outgoing, flamboyant, the life of the party and Charlotte was more reserved and quiet. Charlotte lived a full and busy life, never straying far from Minnesota " in reality, never straying far from Hubbard and Park Rapids. The last 15 to 20 years of her life, she struggled with vision problems. Macular degeneration stole her center vision and kept her from reading, from her painting, her crocheting, from many of the things she loved. This kept her house-bound for many years but her family was always close by. She spent the last 7 months of her life at the Memory Care Unit in the Cottages at Heritage in Park Rapids, MN with daily visits from family and friends. Charlotte leaves two children: Sharon Harris and Marilyn Wolff of Menahga; two grandchildren: Rory (Erin) of Nevis and Tarah Lynn Wolff of Menahga; seven great grandchildren: Joshua (8), Hezekiah (7), Simeon (5), Nehemiah (4), Justus (3), Benjamin (2) and Hadassah (10 months); her sister, Mildred Broadbent of Park Rapids, age 99. She is preceded in death by her parents, Rollin and Jenny; her husband, Arvid and her brother, Robert. When a person leaves us in death, we are caught in our sorrow, lost in our grieving, saying our farewells, thinking of all we have lost. But what we need to remember " this should be acelebration, a celebration of Charlotte"s life and all that she did and all that she loved. And while we are grieving the loss of her, we must remember " she is now rejoicing for the life she had and for all of us she loved. She is not gone. She has just gone ahead. And somewhere out there, she and Arvid are dancing.