Elvin L. Carlson's Obituary
Elvin L. Carlson, 93, of Cordova, TN, passed away on September 1, 2022.
He is survived by his sons, Gary Carlson and Dave (Susie) Carlson, grandchildren, Lauren Carlson, Margaret (David) Mitchell, John “Jack” Carlson, great-grandchild, Elizabeth Mitchell, sister, Carolyn (Lowell) Burns, sister-in-law, Joyce Carlson, and many loving nieces and nephews.
Mr. Carlson was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Pearl Carlson, sister, Shirlene Carlson, brother, Arden Carlson and his wife, Beverly Collin Carlson.
The family will receive relatives and friends on Saturday, September 10 at 9:00 a.m. with a funeral service at 10:00 a.m. at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 2000 N. Germantown Pkwy, Cordova, TN, 38016.
The burial at West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery will be scheduled at a later time.
In lieu of flowers, the Carlson family asks that you donate to the Shelby Farms Conservancy.
Elvin Lamar Carlson was born August 27, 1929 at Sycamore, IL, the first child of Pearl Welander and Henry Carlson. He attended a rural one-room elementary school and graduated from Sycamore High School in 1947. He attended the University of Illinois on scholarship, graduating in 1951 with a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Engineering.
He married Beverly Collin Feb 2, 1951. Elvin served as a Lieutenant In the United States Air Force for two years. He was stationed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, working on experimental handling equipment for atomic weapons.
After discharge from the United States Air Force at the rank of Captain, he was employed by International Harvester Co. His career spanned over 33 years doing development work on several types of farm machinery, primarily harvesting equipment for corn, cotton and hay. This involved living in suburban Chicago, IL., Moline, IL. and Memphis, TN. It also involved travel in much of the US, plus Brazil, Australia and France. He and Beverly traveled often (all 50 US states) plus Europe. They particularly enjoyed visiting his cousins in Sweden.
Elvin and Beverly enjoyed 62 years of marriage and were very proud of their two sons, Gary and David (Susie), three grandchildren, Lauren, Margaret (David) and John “Jack”, and one great-grandchild, Elizabeth Jude.
Elvin had a brother, Arden (Joyce) of Rockford, IL. and two sisters, Shirlene (died 2007) and Carolyn (Lowell) Burns of Traverse City, MI.
A lifetime Lutheran (baptized, confirmed, married and buried a Lutheran), he most recently was a member of St. Luke Lutheran.
Elvins heritage was 100% Swedish (three of four grandparents emigrated).
After Beverly and Elvin retired in Memphis, they did considerable traveling in the US and Europe. He worked part-time at the Brooks Museum, also together they volunteered for the Wonders series, and Shelby Farms Park. He was a “Reserve Ranger” or “Ambassador” for over 15 years.
His hobby was building items that Beverly saw in magazines and also supporting her creative crafting. He enjoyed “fixing things” and finding the basic problem. He considered agricultural engineering one of the most valuable and noble professions since it involves improving the tools needed by agriculture in feeding and clothing the world.
Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN, 38119. (901) 767-8930.
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