Carl T. Carlson

PITTSBURG – Carl “Tom” Carlson, 90, released his death-grip on life on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine. Born April 11, 1931 in Somerville, Mass., Carl first set his mother’s teeth on edge at the ripe age of five, when he and a buddy decided to skip a day of kindergarten and were found wandering along the trolley tracks - the first of many teeth-gritting episodes for his mother. Carl had a fraught relationship with educators until he reached the middle grades, when he reached a truce with the principal who asked for Carl’s belt to punish him. At nearly 6 feet tall, Carl declined, responding “Why don’t you try to take it!” Outside the classroom, Carl had a deep love of wildlife and brought home a steady stream of “pets” of all species, to his mother’s deep consternation. This love stayed with him into the U.S. Marine Corps. Carl once deposited a live skunk in his commanding officer’s quarters. The sergeant who received this pungent gift responded by having him scrub the floors with a toothbrush. Carl spent three years and three months in the Marines, serving in the Korean War, and returned home to attend the University of New Hampshire. At UNH, he met and married Beverly Bishop, with whom he moved to Pittsburg, N.H., to take a job as a NH Conservation Officer. Carl and Beverly had two children, Tammy and Tim, before Beverly passed away in 1963. With the help of friends Ginny and Jim Berry, Carl juggled his grief, job, and parenting duties. Jim later introduced Carl to Joanne Jackson, and after a brief courtship Carl asked Joanne to join his crew. She said yes, later quipping “I didn’t know I would be joining as galley slave!” Carl and Joanne were married, and Joanne became a mother to Tammy and Tim. Three additional children - Heather, Karen, and Tom – were born, filling their home in Pittsburg. Carl also had a very special relationship with Joanne’s son Joshua. Throughout his life Carl was “once a Marine, always a Marine.” His children received regular reminders of this when he gleefully blasted Reveille on the record player to wake them on a school day. Every year, Carl celebrated the Marines’ birthday on November 10 with a cake cut with a sword and a rousing rendition of The Marines’ Hymn. Attendees were expected to participate and know all the words. Carl spent 31 years as a Conservation Officer in Pittsburg, earning a reputation as a tough but fair arbiter of conservation laws, and the nicknames “Sarge” or “Jolly Green Giant.” His concern for law and order was deep, which is why, upon meeting his daughters’ dates, he liked to ask, “Have you ever been arrested?” In addition to working six days a week for NH Fish & Game, Carl was a volunteer firefighter, volunteered on the ambulance corps, served on the school board, and was president of the PTO in Pittsburg. He served as Chief of the Pittsburg Fire Department for 25 years. During his free time, Carl enjoyed gardening and swapping police stories with Leslie Lord and Dave Perry. After retiring from the NH Fish & Game Department, he worked for the NH Marine Patrol and as a part-time police officer for a few years. Carl was a 71-year member of the National Geographic Society and has every issue of its magazine to prove it. This membership sparked his interests in travel, history, and photography. After they retired, Carl and Joanne bought an RV and traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada. They took three memorable trips to Alaska, visited numerous national parks and historical sites, and made it to every state but Hawaii, meeting new friends at each campground. Carl documented these travels on video, in photos, and in hand-done sketches, filling numerous albums and regaling children and grandchildren with every (yes, every) detail of the adventures. Joanne was in a few of the photos, mostly for size comparison against tall trees and buildings. Carl survived Stage 4 colon cancer, enduring five surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation over five years. This was the first of several health conditions that he endured with tenacity and humor. In his later years, Carl and Joanne moved in with their daughter Heather, son-in-law Michael, and grandchildren. Throughout his life he was an avid singer with a sonorous voice, and though he never knew all the words to a song, he did not hesitate to make up his own. Although it did eventually annoy his wife, Carl’s ability to start each day singing was a marvel to his grandchildren, who also enjoyed watching him dance around the kitchen with the family dog. Carl leaves a giant hole in the hearts of his devoted wife of 57 years, Joanne; his six ornery children (Tammy, Joshua, Tim, Heather, Karen, and Tom); eleven grandchildren (Jessica, Tiffany, Nate, Meg, Colin, Emma, Bailey, Christopher, Jacob, Olivia, Cameron); three great-grandchildren (Julia, Leland, and Quinton); brother Walter; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was more brother than brother-in-law to Joanne’s siblings. Carl was an enduring friend and mentor to his fellow officer, Dave Perry. Carl was predeceased by two brothers, David and Winston, and several members of Joanne’s family. Carl was truly larger than life, collecting acquaintances who quickly became friends wherever he went through his 90 years. His energy, optimism, sense of humor, dedication to public service, and generosity of spirit are a lasting legacy for us all. “When great trees fall, rocks on distant hills shudder, lions hunker down in tall grasses, and even elephants lumber after safety.” -- Maya Angelou Calling hours will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, August 22, 2021, at the Jenkins &Newman Funeral Home in Colebrook, N.H, and a funeral service will be held at the Pittsburg Fire Department on Monday morning, August 23, at 11 a.m. The family requests that everyone attending the visitation or funeral wear a face mask indoors regardless of vaccination status. Interment with military honors will immediately follow at the Lake Cemetery in Pittsburg. Expressions of sympathy may be made in Carl’s memory to any wildlife or land conservation society, or to the Pittsburg, N.H. Volunteer Fire Department. Condolences may be offered on-line by going to www.jenkinsnewman.com. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home, Colebrook, NH.

Carl T. Carlson

April 11, 1931 - August 16, 2021