- Date Of Birth: December 8, 1930
- Date Of Death: January 17, 2017
- State: Colorado
Richard Elmer Carlson peacefully passed away Tuesday, January 17, 2017. He was born December 8, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Elmer and Beatrice (Wilson) Carlson. His wife of nearly 57 years is Mary Kay (Kreteck) Carlson. He had two sisters Janet (Carlson) Kapfhamer and Nancy (Carlson) Robinson, husband Frank. He also had two children, Richard Elmer Carlson II (deceased), son, Benjamin Carlson, and Erica Frances (Carlson) Riley, husband Frank Riley and their three children, Bridta (Riley) Rowe, husband Brandon, and daughter Chella and son Atlas, and Robert Riley and Richard Riley.
Richard grew up in Chicago, Illinois and attended the University of Champagne-Urbana and Navy Pier studying architecture. He was then drafted in the United States Army and commissioned an officer (1952-54). During that time he was a photographer, covering military sporting events and battalion news
Richard’s intense affiliation and love of architecture continued under the tutalege of his father, Elmer C. Carlson, where they completed multiple projects together, mostly in Chicago and some in New York. He then was awarded the Plym Fellowship during his masters degree that afforded him the opportunity to travel all around Europe for six months with his then newlywed Mary Kay Carlson in 1960. Richard captured the essence of architecture, landscape, and human emotions everywhere he went.
His love of travel continued the rest of his life with friends and family. Richard’s later Colorado architectural projects included homes, townhomes, apartment complexes, a museum, bank, Skyway Racquet Club, the Residence at Skyway in Colorado Springs, multiple homes in Ridgway, and three homes in Wisconsin. Many of these projects were also developed with his son Richard E. Carlson II.
In addition, Richard was a classical music aficionado, specializing in music history. Attending symphonies, operas, chorales and chambers, mostly with The Colorado Springs Symphony but also where he traveled, was his passion. He probably knew 20 composers by name, 10 of their major works, their birth and death date, and of course, their country of origin.
Richard was truly eccentric, fun-loving, knowledgeable, eternally optimistic, creative, passionate, and devoted. He truly left beauty in his wake.
