Harry Carl Clifford Carlson

Harry Carl Clifford Carlson was born on Tuesday, January 10, 1928 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He passed away on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Roseville, CA. He was 95 years old. He was born to Herman and Helga Carlson, during their immigration journey from Sweden. The family lived in Vancouver until 1930; when his father built a house for them in NE Portland, OR. That year, the family was joined by Harry’s only brother, Harding. Harry attended Gregory Heights Elementary School, and Ulysses S Grant High School in Portland. He recounted many times that during this period of time, his mother was the Blackout Block Warden during World War 2, he saw President Roosevelt driven by his neighborhood as the President traveled to dedicate the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River in 1938. He also would remember that his brother would annoy him by upsetting the card table that his stamp collection was spread out on. Harry learned to play the violin, and joined the Portland Junior Symphony as a teenager. In those days, his orchestra marched in the annual Portland Rose Festival Parade. Harry began college in the 1945-46 school year at Pacific Lutheran College in Tacoma, WA. During his first year, there were only about 15 or 16 men out of a student body of 250 students. The next year, a couple hundred former military men arrived after their service in World War Two. He found that his chances for dating a female student plummeted after the servicemen arrived. One day, while leaning out of his second-floor window in his dorm to talk with some sunbathing girls on the lawn below, another girl on the 4th floor poured a jar of pickle juice on his head from above. He was officially now baptized into higher education. He became a member of the school’s renowned Choir of the West, and toured with the group around several states in the Northwest and Central parts of the Country. One time when the bus was stopped for lunch, he went for a ride with a former WASP in her biplane. He remembers buzzing his choir director and thoroughly enjoying himself.

After graduation, in 1949, he enrolled in the Wartburg Theological Lutheran Seminary in Dubuque, IA to become a Minister. His third year was his internship year, which he spent in Toledo, OH. Upon graduation in 1953, he was ordained at his home church in Portland, OR. He immediately received a call to a mission church in La Habra, CA (in Orange County). He served at Lutheran Church of the Master there from 1953-1962. In August of 1953, while still a brand-new Pastor, he was sent up on a blind date at Knott’s Berry Farm with an attractive young lady who worked for an insurance company in Los Angeles. His date, Violet Steinke, tripped over a fake tombstone in the Boot Hill display, and Harry quickly caught her as she was falling. They were married 6 months later on Valentine’s Day 1954, at his church in La Habra. In 1961, Harry and Violet’s only son, Michael, was born. Thirteen months later, Harry received a call to Faith Lutheran Church in Arcata, CA, and the family moved. Harry enjoyed the new location; which took him from the smog and traffic in LA to the beautiful redwood forests of Northern California. In December of 1964, Harry joined several local clergy from Arcata and Eureka to help with emergency evacuations from small towns along the rivers during the Christmas floods that year. In 1968, Harry received a call and decided to move once again to Calvary Lutheran in Rio Linda, CA. He served there for 25 years until his retirement in 1993. During that time, and since, he volunteered for the Aquarian Effort (a drug counseling and rehab center), and served on multiple committees with Sacramento County dealing with drug addictions and other concerns.

He received several recognitions from the County for his work. Harry and Violet celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2004. Violet passed away in 2007. Harry had several lifelong interests. He loved surf-fishing in the ocean waters near his family’s cabin in Ocean Park, WA. He and Violet travelled to Sweden, Alaska, Hawaii, and several national parks. In addition to playing his violin, he enjoyed attending many theater events. He relished Gilbert and Sullivan operas, as well as mainline opera, and Broadway shows. He found great enjoyment in treating countless friends and family members to a variety of performances. Harry’s faith never wavered. He always knew who he was and where he was going. He performed countless weddings and funerals, baptisms and confirmations, and delivered hundreds of sermons. Harry is survived by his son, Michael, and daughter-in-law Rhonda; seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his parents, Herman and Helga Carlson, his brother Harding Carlson, and his beloved wife, Violet Carlson.

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