Richard William Carlson passed away at the age of 85 on June 29th, 2023. Richard is survived by his wife of 59 years Charlene Carlson, his sister Joyce Ruppert, his six children Joanne Scott, Sharon Raugutt, Jon Carlson, Dianne Parent, Don Carlson, and Steven Carlson, his five grandchildren Spencer, Sammi, Jordan, Hailey, and Ryan, and numerous nieces and nephews. Richard is proceeded in death by his mother Ruth Carlson, his father Axel Carlson, and his brother Roger Carlson.

Richard was born on September 7th, 1937, in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was the oldest of three children. He attended St. Louis Park School in Minnesota until 6th grade when the Carlson family moved to Robbinsdale, Minnesota. In Robbinsdale he enjoyed outdoor sports like baseball and basketball. Many of his extended family lived within walking distance, and the school was only two blocks away. Richard graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1955. He then went on to earn a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1966.

In 1964, Richard married Charlene Barrett. A year later their first daughter was born, and when she was six months old, Richard and Charlene moved to Seattle, Washington. There were five more children that came over the next 15 years. Richard had a long and happy career with Boeing in Seattle, WA as a Lead Electrical Engineer until 1995 when the Golden Handshake took place and he retired. He had an interest in teaching, so he taught Math and Science at the community colleges part time over the next few years.

Richard had many passions and interests, and he enjoyed being a member of multiple clubs. He was always involved in a leadership or officer position and volunteered much of his time.   Donations can be made to KCTS 9 in his name.