22 Dec Westlie Carlson

Westlie Arthur Carlson passed away suddenly December 17 at St. Alexius hospital in Bismarck, ND.  Wes has been reunited with his bride, Martha, who passed away on March 12 this year. They will be buried together at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, ND.  Funeral services will be on Monday, December 28, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. at the Bismarck Funeral Home.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the start of the service.  For those who cannot attend, the service will be streamed live on the Bismarck Funeral Home Facebook page.

Wes was born November 9, 1950 in Minot, ND. Minot would be his home almost all his life. He was the son of Arthur and Doris (Brown) Carlson, and spent his childhood cooking up mischief for his younger sisters. Westlie graduated from Minot high school in 1968 and became a skilled driver for his father’s sanitation business. Wes eventually took over Carlson Sanitation, and provided reliable service for decades. When mobility became a challenge, Wes sold the sanitation business and then drove school bus. “Mister Wes” loved the kids on his bus, and loved harassing them even more, frequently announcing, “I forgot where you live!”

Wes married Martha Hansen on April 23, 1971. It was a bonus that she was a blonde and was feisty enough to keep up with Wes’s antics. Wes and Martha raised three children. Sometimes the family would join Art and Doris for the weekend at Rice Lake, with boat rides and Martha on waterskies. Wes always had a special love for animals and treasured the family’s dogs and cats. Later Wes and Martha were blessed with eleven grandchildren, which meant more kids to joke with.

Wes loved motorized things. He raced snowmobiles and later enjoyed three wheelers, motorcycles, boats, lawn mowers, cars, trucks, and eventually his scooter. He particularly liked to bedazzle his Goldwing motorcycle, appropriately named “Daddy’s Toy”, with chrome. Later Westlie taught himself about computers, and especially liked to print cards, jokes, and pictures of the grandkids.

Westlie had been living at Missouri Slope nursing home in Bismarck for a month and said you’d have to search miles and miles to find better staff. He also appreciated the help at Benedictine Living Center of Garrison and The Wellington in Minot; all three were homes in the last year. Westlie was always a joker and kept his good humor to the end.

Westlie is home with his Savior. Home with Martha. Home with family and friends that have gone before. Through Christ’s sacrifice, they’ve pulled the ultimate trick on death. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

He is survived by children: Paul (Maria) Carlson, Phoenix, AZ, Mary (John) Lemke, Houston, MN, and Michael (Samara) Carlson, Bismarck, ND; eleven grandchildren: Jared, Suzan, Anna, Bethany, and Brielle Carlson, Phoenix, AZ; Kezia, Evelyn, and Joseph Lemke, Houston, MN; Gabrielle, Emily, and Aubrey Carlson, Bismarck, ND; siblings: Wanda (Keith) Woods, Michigan, ND and Lylia Hoffer, Mesa, AZ; special nephew Jayson (Lisa) Hoffer, Gilbert, AZ, nieces Nicole Hoffer, Mesa, AZ and Tammy (Mike) Jorgenson, Crookston, MN; and several more nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Wes was preceded in death by his wife Martha, his parents Art and Doris Carlson, brother-in-law Lyle Hoffer, brother-in-law Fred Hansen Jr., sister-in-law Ginger Hansen, niece Deanna Woods, great-nephew Ty Fischer, and niece Nicole Hansen.

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