Elaine Carlson

Elaine Jones was born in Minneapolis, MN on August 25, 1941, to Kimble and Elaine (Hogan) Jones. After graduating from high school, Elaine lived for one year in San Francisco, California, before moving back to Minneapolis. In 1961, she met Erland Carlson at a dance. They were engaged on their third date, and married within 10 months on August 11, 1962 in Minneapolis. On being asked by their children, what would have happened if Elaine had never moved back to Minneapolis, Erland replied, “I would have gone to California and (met) found her.” The couple made homes in St. Cloud, MN; Mankato, MN; York, PA; and Fort Dodge, IA. Most recently they happily lived in a townhome at Friendship Haven.

In addition to her favorite, and most important job of being a housewife and mother, Elaine worked as a bank teller in San Francisco, Minneapolis, and St. Cloud. Her interest was in nursing, and she took college courses in this field. She took pride in her volunteer work at Lifeline through Trinity Regional Medical Center (now Unity Point) in the mid 1980s to 1990s. In this role, Elaine installed / trained elderly individuals living alone to help with their safety and independence. Elaine’s caregiving and gentle nature, made this job a natural choice. She also helped with rummage sales at First United Methodist Church in Fort Dodge.

Elaine enjoyed traveling (including trips to Europe, Alaska, China, and train rides coast to coast in Canada), canoeing in the Boundary Waters with family, fishing trips to Canada, snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park, jeep riding in the forests, picking high-bush cranberries in the autumn and making preserves, and long RV trips with Erland across the United States. Her hobbies included genealogy and making jewelry. She was a wonderful cook, and her family enjoyed dinners and holidays eating her home-cooked meals. The cabin she and Erland purchased in Backus, MN created many happy, lifelong memories for Erland, their children, and grandchildren, as well as extended family and friends. She and Erland had happy times with new friends at their winter home in Tucson, Arizona.

She was a member of PEO, DAR, and the First United Methodist Church.

Survivors include her husband, Erland, children Dr. Ethan Carlson (Shannan Morgan), Baraboo, WI, Elise Carlson, Fort Dodge, IA, and Ellen McBride (Mark), Fort Dodge, IA, and her seven grandchildren Abby, Aidan, Anya, Piera, Landry, Tessa, and Tru.

Memorials may be left to the Local IM chapter of PEO, Daughters of the American Revolution, and First United Methodist Church.