Steve Carlson

A man of eclectic enthusiasms – baking bread, collecting rocks, making his favorite Norwegian dish Kumula, the Sons of Norway, and JC Superstar (the musical) – Steve Carlson enjoyed life and had a great sense of humor. What was really important to him, however, was his faith and his family. Compassionate and loving, Steve spent his life taking care of the people he loved.

In the early 1950s, Raymond and Katherine (Gimsby) Carlson became the proud parents of a son, whom they named Steve. The Carlson family lived in Rockford, Illinois, where Steve would attend both secondary and high school. After graduating from high school in 1968, Steve enrolled in an undergraduate degree program. Four years later, he graduated with a BA and was quickly drafted into the army. Steve was a dedicated and patriotic soldier, serving from 1973 to 1976 and helped teach Special Forces Medical Paramedics.

Back in civilian life, Steve found his niche as a university professor. In what would prove to be one of the most important classes of his life, he met a young woman named Sara Jozwiak. Sara and Steve soon fell in love, and were married on May 6, 1978. In the coming years, the couple was blessed by the births of two beautiful daughters, Erin and Kelly. His wedding day and the births of his two children were the greatest days of Steve’s life. Steve was a loving father, light on discipline, who was never happier than when spending time with his family.

As Steve pursued his academic career, the Carlson family moved around the country. First stop was Texas, where Steve completed his PhD. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University in 1983. He later taught in states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Texas, before finally settling down in the Kalamazoo area in the 1980s. In Kalamazoo, he worked at Nazareth College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kellogg Community College where he became the chair of the math and Physical Education department, and Glenn Oaks Community College. In 2003 Steve was preparing to study at Seminary for Ordained Ministry in the United Methodist Church at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart Indiana.

Nine years ago, Steve was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Although the following years were at times difficult, Steve was blessed to surrounded by a loving and caring family until the end. Throughout his life, and especially in these final years, Steve was strengthened and sustained by his relationship with God.

Steve was a loving husband, a devoted father, and a faithful follower of God. Funny and easygoing, compassionate and forgiving, he will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered by his many friends and family.

Steve Carlson passed away comfortably, in his own home, on Thursday, December 15, at the age of sixty-one. His family includes his wife, Sara; his daughters, Erin and Kelly; a brother, Gary Carlson, and family, of Rockford; and a brother-in-law, Eric Jozwiak, of Saginaw.

Services will be held at 11 am on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at the Portage Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, 7028 Oakland Drive. The Carlson's will visit with family and friends immediately following at a lunch in the church's fellowship hall. Donations may be made to the Portage Chapel Hill UMC, Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, or Alzheimer’s Association. Arrangements are being made by the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-Kalamazoo, 6080 Stadium Drive (375-2900). Please visit Steve’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may share a memory or photo and sign his online guestbook.