Charlotte M. Carlson, 96, passed away Sunday, May 19, 2013 at the Memory Care Cottages of Heritage Nursing Home in Park Rapids.

Charlotte was born near Hubbard Nov. 8, 1916 to Rollin and Jennie Ferrier Story. She grew up near Hubbard, the youngest of three children. Her mother died when she was 5. She went to school in Hubbard and Park Rapids. She ended up leaving school when she was in the 11th grade and she took care of her father and helped on the farm till she was in her early thirties.

Then she met Arvid Carlson in 1950 and married him in 1951 and moved with him to his farm just a few miles away, across the river and up the hill.

Two daughters followed and a busy life of milking cows, growing flowers and vegetables, sewing, painting, crocheting, quilting. Char-lotte always amazed her family and friends with all she did and with her knowledge of words and spelling. She loved game shows and crossword puzzles, often knowing things she didn't know how she knew.

After they sold the cows and retired, Arvid and Charlotte enjoyed many years of woodworking together. They also often went out dancing with the neighbors, the Hocketts, Johnsons, Boyers, and Enneys. Arvid was outgoing, flamboyant, the life of the party and Charlotte was more reserved and quiet.

Charlotte lived a full and busy life, never straying far from Minnesota, in reality, never straying far from Hubbard and Park Rapids. The last 15 to 20 years of her life, she struggled with vision problems. Macular degeneration stole her center vision and kept her from reading, from her painting, her crocheting, from many of the things she loved. This kept her house-bound for many years but her family was always close by. She spent the last seven months of her life at the Memory Care Unit in the Cottages at Heritage in Park Rapids with daily visits from family and friends.

Charlotte leaves two children, Sharon Harris and Marilyn Wolff, and two grandchildren, Rory (Erin) Wolff and Tarah Lynn Wolff; seven great-grandchildren, Joshua 8, Hezekiah 7, Simeon 5, Nehemiah 4, Justus 3, Benjamin 2 and Hadassah 10 months; sister Mildred Broadbent of Park Rapids, age 99.

She is preceded in death by her brother, Robert and parents Rollin and Jenny.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the kind folks at the Memory Care Cottages, to her good friends Dagmar Siltala and Donna Johnson, and to her senior companion Beatrice Haataja for all the time they spent with her.

Services: 2 p.m. Thursday, May 23 at Jones-Pearson Funeral Home in Park Rapids.

Visitation: One hour prior to the funeral at the funeral home.