Emil Theodore (Ted) Carlson

Emil Theodore (Ted) Carlson, 96, a resident of Kimball died at his home in Kimball on Friday, Dec. 1, 2006. Cremation has taken place and graveside services were held on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Potter Cemetery. Memorials have been established to the Kimball Hospital Foundation or the Potter Cemetery Board. Cantrell Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Emil Theodore Carlson was born in Sextorp, Neb., on Jan. 11, 1910, the son of Emil and Christina (Errickson) Carlson. He attended rural schools until the age of 10 when the family moved to Potter, Neb. He attended the Potter schools and graduated from the Potter High School in 1927. He was on the Potter town baseball team and was an outstanding basketball player. He was married to Emily Hagemeister in Sterling, Colo., on Oct. 3, 1930. Ted did dry land farming in the Potter area until 1957. During his life he farmed with horses, steam engines, the first gas tractors and drove the largest versatile tractor made in the 1970s. In 1957, he was employed by the Fred Harvey Company as the general foreman. The different locations that he worked at were Grand Canyon Park, the Painted Desert in Arizona and Death Valley and Sequoia National Park in California. In 1971 Ted and Emily moved to Moses Lake to be near the Don Worley family. He managed the building of the Worley home. He also designed and built large sheds, shops, pump houses and even did some tractor work for Farm Management Services owned by the Worley's. A highlight of his life was helping Bell Telephone install the auto dialing system in the Potter area, and through his experience he was a consultant with the Battery Electric system of the first Mercury Satellite Project. He was a 50-year mason and had received his 50-year pin. Ted helped build the first buildings at Camp Rock in Reddington, Neb. He attended the Kimball E-Free Church. He retired when he was in his 70s.

Survivors include his son Charles and wife Carolyn Carlson of Kimball; daughter Byrdeen Worley of Moses Lake; sister Helen Policky of Sidney; 14 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren and one great great granddaughter. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, daughters Beverly Neilson and Betty Cushing, son-in-law Don Worley, one brother and five sisters.