CARLSON, Arthur H., age 94

Died: Monday, June 27th, 2016

Funeral  Service: 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at Peace Lutheran Church (501 E. Fillmore Avenue) in Eau Claire with Rev. Tim Stein officiating

Visitation: family will receive friends one (1) hour prior to service

Interment: Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Spooner, Wisconsin

Believing that every kid deserves a chance to play baseball, the family requests memorials be given to: Eau Claire American Little League Scholarship Fund, c/o Mark Garrison, Pres., 3538 Rudolph Rd., Eau Claire, WI 54701

A kind, simple man of many talents and deep passion for nature and the earth, Arthur H. Carlson, 94, of Eau Claire, died on Monday, June 27, 2016 at Dove Healthcare Center West in Eau Claire.

He was born May 24, 1922, in Bloomfield, NE and raised by his immigrant parents, Henry and Hannah (Kolls) Carlson, on a small crop and cattle farm on the wide prairie. Eventually the family moved to Indiana where he graduated from Gary Tolleston High School.

Arthur enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on October 16, 1942 and served as a guard patrolman for aircraft and personnel in the 337th ADRM squadron in the South Pacific Theater. Participating in campaigns around New Guinea, Leyte and the Philippines Liberation, he was awarded two Bronze Battle Stars. He was honorably discharged from service on August 11, 1945. Arthur commemorated his military service by taking a Freedom Honor Flight with his son, David.

After returning to Indiana, he married his neighborhood sweetheart, Adele A. Hamann on September 28, 1946. He was employed as a patrolman for the Gary Indiana Police Department, a truck driver for Stanley Oil Co., and in production maintenance for Wonder Bread Bakery. In 1968, he moved the family to Spooner, Wisconsin where he worked at the high school and a local hardware store. Several years later Art and Adele moved to Eau Claire where he was employed by Heileman Bakery for more than 20 years.

He was a tinkerer, gardener and woodcraftsman. He and Adele spent many hours entertaining family and friends at their Washburn County lake cabin, "Oahu" (The Gathering Place), which also served as a hub of deer hunting and fishing outings. They also enjoyed travelling throughout the country.

He devoted many spare hours working on Little League and Babe Ruth League fields in Indiana. The couple also passionately followed the North H.S. Huskies and Minnesota Twins. Since late-January, he was a resident of Fall Creek Valley Health Care Center and Dove Healthcare West, where he received high quality loving care from all staff and we are very thankful.

Survivors include his wife, Adele; sons, David P. (Susan) Carlson of Eau Claire, Richard L. (Dorothy) Carlson of Rose, OK, and Daniel J. (Darlene) Carlson of Crown Point, IN; grandchildren, Lisa (Todd) Lemler of Hudson, WI, Heidi (Marshall) Grange of Lakeville, MN, Michael (Samantha) Carlson and Michelle Carlson, both of Crown Point, IN, and Robin (Keith) Cunningham of Rose, OK; great-grandchildren, Gabby, Savannah, Haylee, Grace, Michael Jr., Ava, Wade and Audra; dear sisters-in-law, Betty Hamann of McMurray, PA and Martha Hamann of Overland Park, KS; many other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother and a sister.