Obituary of Robert Carlson

Robert Eugene (Bob) Carlson, 92, of Strasburg, Colorado passed away at home on February 9, 2011. He was born December 10, 1918, in Galeton, Colorado, to Severin George and Bertha (Blair) Carlson. He lived on the family farm with three brothers and a sister until 1928, when the family moved to a farm north of Byers, Colorado. Bob graduated from Byers High School in 1936, where he loved to play basketball. He attended a year of college at Emporia, Kansas, and then traveled to California for trade school and a job in an uncle’s packing plant. Missing farming, he returned to help at the family farm in Byers. He and neighbor Walter Paine were also employed to measure and survey eastern Adams County. On August 17, 1941, Bob married the love of his life, Ruby Holmquist. The newlyweds moved south of Byers to an irrigated farm where they raised hogs, farmed and started their family. Four children were born to this marriage. He purchased a WWII IHC Crawler with his brother and built a land plane to level the land better. This led to a partnership in a construction business. During the 50’s, he found his second love of raising several varieties of grass seed. He served on the Byers School Board and was an elder in the Byers Presbyterian Church. He enjoyed improving equipment and built a self-propelled corn chopper. After his father’s death, the family moved to the home farm north of Byers. Increasing the operation he purchased an experimental 4-wheel drive Agriculture tractor manufactured by the Coleman Trucking Company. He built a seven bottom plow to harness the power of this tractor. As the Conservation Reserve Program developed, Bob produced grass seed and custom drilled for numerous participants of the program. He was instrumental in the Deer Trail Conservation District purchasing a grass seed drill for participant usage. After serving 22 years on the Deer Trail Conservation District, he continued to help the District with seeding projects. In 1983, Bob and Ruby moved to Strasburg. Bob was very active in the Strasburg Community Church where they were charter members. Over the years, they were very fortunate to take several trips to visit grandchildren who were very dear to his heart. Bob is survived by Ruby, his loving wife of 69 years; sons, Burton (Mary) of Franktown, Frank (Jane) of Lyman, Nebraska; daughters, Helen (Dave) Sheats of Loxahatchee, Florida; Dorothy MacDonald of West Deptford, New Jersey; brother, Ted and Bernice Carlson of Longmont, Colorado; 17 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, a sister, a granddaughter, Rebecca Sheats, and a son-in-law, Joel MacDonald.