- Date Of Birth: August 6, 1935
- Date Of Death: June 27, 2022
- State: Idaho
Richard “Dick” Carlson passed away peacefully June 27, 2022 approaching his 87th birthday.
Dick was born August 6, 1935 to Clarence and Virginia (Prince) Carlson in Gooding, Idaho. He was raised and attended school in Gooding with his younger sisters Beverly and Jeanette, graduating in 1953. He attended the University of Idaho and was later drafted into the Army. He was deployed to Germany where he worked on missile guidance systems and enjoyed travelling Europe whenever possible.
After his discharge, Dick returned to Idaho where he reconnected with Colleen St. Clair, a childhood neighbor whom he frequently wrote to while in the Army. The two moved separately to Seattle for work, begin dating, and then married in February of 1964. Dick and Colleen settled in the Finn Hill neighborhood of unincorporated Bothell, WA (now Kirkland) and had three boys Michael, David, and Clayton.
Dick spent most of his work career with METRO of King County, which was originally created to fix wastewater issues plaguing Lake Washington and he spent much of his early employment working on sewer related projects throughout the county. If you drive down 124th in Kirkland you will see a sewage pump station that has a salmon weathervane that he always pointed out as his trademark addition. Eventually METRO was merged with the county’s public bus transportation and Dick managed the construction of many of the Park n Ride’s seen throughout the county. He retired in 2002 and was proud of the diversity of projects he got to work on and the great relationships he had with co-workers and clients.
While raising three boys, Dick, along with Colleen were actively involved in the many activities that their sons participated in. Dick volunteered to be one of the original coaches in the Finn Hill Junior Soccer Association, coaching his son Mike on the “Cowboys”. At the time, the game was mostly unknown but Dick made sure he learned the game and planned practices that were never boring, always emphasizing hard work and having fun. Dick created many lifelong friendships in the Finn Hill area, fellow parents became friends as did many neighbors. He always loved seeing and chatting with people.
Dick enjoyed different hobbies in his life but was most passionate about woodworking and photography. He was always building something and custom work could be found throughout his home and yard, not always perfect craftmanship, but always functional. He certainly made the most out of his one-car garage woodshop. Dick began an interest in photography as part of the photography club in high school but it wasn’t until his retirement and Colleen’s passing that he really dedicated himself to finding the next great picture. He would make frequent trips to snap photos of eagles, herons, owls, or whatever wildlife or landscape caught his eye. Dick was a lifelong fisherman and he learned to tie a pretty good fishing fly, another hobby he picked up later in life. He was an avid reader of books and magazines, always interested in new knowledge and insight and the newspaper comics were a daily favorite.
In retirement, Dick and Colleen were able to enjoy some traveling to the southwest and took a lengthy trip back to Missouri where Colleen’s mother’s family roots were.
Dick was preceded in death by: his wife – Colleen (St. Clair); his parents – Clarence and Virginia; a sister – Beverly (Parks); and a sister – Jeanette (Moline).
Dick is survived by: his sons – Michael, David, and Clayton (Kerry); his grandchildren – Shelbey, Brett, Kevin, and Kaeden; and great granddaughter – Delilah.
Special thanks to George and Jackie Inama for their 60-year neighborhood friendship and thanks to their daughter Andrea for always looking out for Dick’s welfare.
