Arthur "Ozzie" Frank Carlson
December 24, 1928 — September 20, 2016
Arthur Frank “Ozzie” Carlson, 87, of Silvis, IL, formerly of Orion, IL, died Tuesday, September 20, 2016, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf, IA.
Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, September 24, 2016 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1001 9th Street, Orion. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Friday in the Ark at the church. Burial will be at Western Township Cemetery, where military honors will be conducted by the Orion American Legion Post 255 and the Orion VFW Post 143. Memorials may be made to St. Paul Lutheran Church, where Ozzie was a member, or to the family. Kirk, Huggins & Esterdahl Funeral Home, Orion, is assisting the family.
Ozzie was born on December 24, 1928, in Geneseo, IL, the son of Abner F. and Louise C. Kulper Carlson. He married Dolores E. Swanson on April 8, 1949, at St. Paul Lutheran Church; she preceded him in death on July 24, 2010. He worked for the former Hardin Implement in Orion before being drafted into the Army. He later worked in electrical wiring for Montgomery Elevator in Moline, IL.
Ozzie was a veteran, having proudly served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was a member of the Orion American Legion and the Orion VFW and Honor Guard, where he helped with the annual Easter Egg Hunts. Ozzie and his wife were Chairmen of Craft Tents for the Orion Fall Festival. He especially enjoyed antiquing and making numerous yard swings.
Survivors include his children, LaVerne A. (Penny) Carlson, Mesa, AZ, Joyce E. (Rick) Hepner, Orion, IL; 2 grandchildren, Kristi (David) Chipman, Big Rapids, MI, and Sarah Hepner and her husband Brian Allen, Orion, IL; great grandchildren, Jonathan Chipman, Andrew Chipman, Matthew Chipman, Oscar “Ozzie” Allen and Simon Allen; 2 half-sisters, Debra (Alan) Wright, Orion, IL, and Melanie (Rick) Garrett, Ohio.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; brothers, Charles Carlson and Richard Carlson; sisters, Emma Stevenson and Vera Nelson.
Memories may be shared online by visiting esterdahl.com.