Obituary: Charles Carlson, 72, of Ludington

Charlie Carlson

Obituary: Charles Carlson, 72, of Ludington

Charles Paul Carlson, 72, of Ludington passed away early Wednesday morning, October 19, 2022 at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital surrounded by his loving family.  Charles was born on February 9, 1950 in Hart, the son of Paul L. and Dorothy M. (Hoffman) Carlson and grew up in the Pentwater area.  Charlie or Chuck as he was known, graduated from Pentwater High School with the class of 1968 and served his country with the United States Army during the Vietnam War.  Upon his return from service, Charlie drove delivery truck for Canada Dry and Pepsi for 10 years where he really enjoyed the social interaction and meeting many wonderful people, and then worked as a driver for Eagle Express in Ludington hauling cargo all over this beautiful country for over 30 years.

On September 11, 1999, Charlie was married to Hannah M. (Cleary) Denison and they have celebrated 23 blessed years together.  Hannah often accompanied Charlie on his cross-country hauls and in retirement were able to take several trips together sightseeing and visiting family.

To say Charlie loved to fish would be an understatement.  He enjoyed numerous trips to Drummond Island fishing with his family and friends and also enjoyed deer hunting around Mason County where he was known for bagging the first and often largest buck every season.  Along with fishing and hunting, Charlie loved to cook – especially the delicious pork dinners he contributed to the Hoffman family reunions every year.  He was also a huge sports fan – if there was a ball involved in the game, Charlie was watching it.  He, along with his family made their annual trek to East Lansing to take in the high school basketball playoffs and Charlie was a strong supporter of all the local athletes around Mason and Oceana counties.  Besides his son Paul, grandchildren were his pride and joy and he attended as many of their events as he could.  As a member of the Danish Brotherhood in Ludington, you could usually find Charlie playing set back, pinochle and euchre with his crew! The cigars, hats and anything U of M were always secondary to his big heart and personality.  His great sense of humor and outgoing personality will be truly missed by all.

Charlie was preceded in death by his parents; his grandson Owen Carlson; and his sisters-in-law Justine and Linda Carlson.

Along with his wife Hannah, Charlie will be greatly missed by his son Paul (Erika) Carlson of Rockford; his stepchildren Christopher (Lynda) Denison of Grand Haven and Meredith VanVelzen of Fruitport; his grandchildren Kinley and Molly Carlson, Mykayla, Taylor, Christopher Jr., Rebekah, and Landon Denison, and Emma VanVelzen; his brother Jerry Carlson of Hudson, Florida; his sister Christine Miner (Alex Stigailo) of Pentwater; his former wife Marjorie (Lance) Christensen of Scottville; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A Memorial Service to honor Charlie’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 4 at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Scottville with burial and Honor Guard rites to follow at Scottville Brookside Cemetery.  Friends may greet his family on Friday morning, November 4 from 10 a.m. until time of services at the church.  Those who wish to remember Charlie with a memorial donation are asked to please consider his family to assist with his medical and funeral expenses.

Please visit Charlie’s memory page at www.wymanfuneralservice.com to leave a tribute of Charlie for his family to read, or to light a candle in his memory.