Larry Carlson

Larry Lester Carlson, 68, of Carroll passed away at his residence on Saturday, March 23, 2013. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at St. John Lutheran Church in Carroll, with the Rev. Cindy Johnson officiating. Friends may call after 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll, where there will be a prayer service at 7 p.m. The casket will be moved to the church at 9 a.m. Wednesday, where visitation will resume until the time of service. The organist for the service will be Jan Potthoff, and the congregation will sing “Amazing Grace” and “Precious Lord." Born on March 17, 1945, at Fort Dodge, Iowa, he was the son of Lester and Hazel (Beekman) Carlson. He grew up on a farm south of Pocahontas and graduated from Pocahontas High School in 1963. He attended Iowa State University and later worked for Farmers Hybrid Hogs in Hampton. Larry was a member of the National Guard and trained at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He later moved to Fort Dodge and worked for Stockman’s Supply. Larry married Cynthia Rasmussen in October 1976 at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. He then worked as a hog buyer for Heinhold, which later became IBP and then Tyson. Larry and Cynthia moved to their acreage east of Carroll in 1982, where he continued to work as a hog buyer until retiring in 2007. He worked part-time for Haley Implement after he retired. Larry was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Carroll. He raised Paint horses and was involved in the Iowa Paint Horse Association, serving as president in the past. He also had judged horse shows and livestock shows. He enjoyed his acreage and anything to do with rural life. He also liked reading western poetry and watching NASCAR and sports on television. Larry loved children and having them out to his acreage. He especially loved his grandchildren, Ben and Mya, and being with them whenever he could. Larry is survived by his wife, Cynthia, of Carroll; a son, Brian Carlson, and his wife, Luba, of Pflugerville, Texas, near Austin; a daughter, Dana Sawyer, and her husband, Nathan, of Omaha; two grandchildren, Benjamin and Mya; a brother, Lowell Carlson, and his wife, Linda, of Urbandale, Iowa; an uncle, the Rev. Darold Beekman, of St. Louis Park, Minn.; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Larry was preceded in death by his parents.