Wilma Carlson

Wilma Irene Anderson was born on June 5, 1921 to Emil & Dora Alice Anderson in Lake Crystal, Minnesota. She was the seventh of eight children.

Wilma had the opportunity to take piano lessons as a child which led to her accompanying the choir at church, choirs and soloists at school and whenever a pianist was needed as she was growing up. She also couldn't wait to follow her brothers and sisters into 4-H and baked many cakes and sewed many garments for the county and state fairs throughout the years.

After graduating from high school, Wilma had the opportunity to attend the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point, WI where she graduated with a four-year degree in Home Economics and Science. She met the great love of her life, Alton B. Carlson, in 1940 when he came to Garden City to teach Agriculture at the Welcome Memorial High School. He boarded at Wilma's sister's house and was introduced by Wilma's sister. It was a love at first sight relationship, however, Wilma insisted on finishing her college education before she would get married. Wilma taught Home Economics and Music in Holmen, WI and also in Garden City. Wilma and Alton married on June 1, 1944 and one month later went to New York and then San Francisco as Alton enlisted into the Navy during World War II. As Alton went to fight the war, Wilma stayed in San Francisco and worked at an airplane factory to support the war effort. She eventually returned to Garden City and waited for Alton to return in 1946.

Alton & Wilma started their new life in Winona, MN where Alton was employed as an Ag teacher. They lived in a quonset house that was built to provide housing for WWII veterans as they returned from the war. Two daughters, Virginia and Linda were born while they lived in Winona.

In 1949, they bought and moved to a farm just outside Alexandria, MN. A son, James, was born the next year and four years later a daughter, Laurie. In 1956, Alton took a teaching job in Battle Lake so the family moved again. Wilma was active in the First Lutheran Church in Battle Lake, where she accompanied the choir, played the organ for weddings and funerals, taught Sunday School and Bible School and worked on many charity projects. She started her own sewing business and made clothes including many wedding and bridesmaid dresses for her local customers. Alton & Wilma kept the farm in Alexandria, and every April the family moved to the farm and raised sheep and huge gardens. Wilma delivered many a lamb on a cold spring day while the rest of the family commuted to Battle Lake to attend school. Every summer, Wilma and Alton travelled somewhere in the USA to discover its many wonders and beautiful scenery. As they raised their four children, the children went along and in their retirement years, Wilma and Alton traveled to Connecticut, California and other places on their own. Wilma was an avid reader from childhood until the end. As a child she sat in the coatroom at her school to listen and help the readers who were struggling. In her later years, she would check out a dozen books at a time from the local library.

In 1979, Alton retired from teaching and he and Wilma retired to the farm near Alexandria. They became very active in the First Congregational Church. Wilma took up the hobby of making quilts and for 30 years, she made one every year for the church's annual bazaar. Besides the quilts, she made many, many craft items that were sold at the annual bazaar. She led the Material Aid organization at the church for 25 years, which met twice a month and produced quilts for social services, Listening Ear and anyone in need. In 1992 Wilma received the honor as Douglas County Senior Citizen of the year.

As a child, Wilma was inspired by a beautiful woman from Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky who sang and spoke at her Sunday School in Garden City about the needs of the people in the Appalachian Mountains. This became a lifelong interest which Wilma reactivated later in life and she began making 60-70 pairs of flannel pajamas and shipped them to Kentucky for Christmas every year. Her basement was a pajama factory. Out of the scraps from the pajamas, she made baby quilts and one year sent 70 quilts to Red Bird mission instead of the pajamas. Just recently she added the Ronald McDonald house to her list of charities and made quilts for them.

In 2008 Alton was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and for the next four years, Wilma was his primary caretaker and honored his wish to remain at home on the farm. Her love and loyalty to Alton was endless. After Alton passed away in 2012, Wilma continued to live on the family farm until ten days before she passed away. She loved to watch the deer and the wild turkeys walk by her living room window and she continued her sewing and charity work until the end.

Wilma is survived by 3 children, Virginia (Gary) Larsen of Underwood, MN, James Carlson of Underwood, Laurie (Dwight) Cook of Alexandria, son-in-law Lyle Hoxtell of Fergus Falls, 10 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Alton, her daughter Linda Hoxtell, granddaughter Carissa Hoxtell, 7 brothers and sisters and their spouses, and several nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky, the Alzheimer's Association of Minnesota/North Dakota or the First Congregational Church in Alexandria, MN.