George W. Carlson

1937 - 2016

George W. Carlson
Formerly of Fitchburg, MA, Navy Vet; 78

SPRING HILL, FL -- George W. Carlson, 78, of Spring Hill, FL, passed peacefully surrounded by his family after a brief illness on February 29, 2016. He was formerly a resident of Fitchburg, MA for 32 years.

George was born on June 12, 1937 in Medford, MA to the late Isabelle (Drew) and Carl Carlson.

He was married to the late Sally M. Carlson for 55 years. He leaves behind three sons, Christopher Carlson and wife, Christine of Ashburnham, Peter Carlson and wife, Michele of Leominster, and Matthew Carlson of Spring Hill, Florida; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; a brother, Robert Carlson and wife, Beth of Colorado Springs, CO; and sister, Karen Lucht of Exeter, NH. He was predeceased by his brother, Ralph Carlson and sister, Nancy Etchells.

George graduated from Central High School in Manchester, NH in 1955. He went on to receive his Bachelor's Degree from Dartmouth College and his MBA from Tuck School of Business. He entered the U.S. Navy through the ROTC program and served our country active duty on the USS Joseph K. Taussig destroyer ship. He received an honorable discharge after 4 more years in the Navy reserves.

For many years, George was an executive advertiser in New York City. He later moved to Fitchburg with his family where he co-owned and operated Roy's Auto Parts. He retired in 2006 from Chapdelaine's and relocated to sunny Florida with his wife Sally.

He was a brilliant man who could always be found with pile of books to read, crossword puzzles to solve and political debates to be had. He enjoyed the back roads of New Hampshire, a fine bottle of red wine and singing along to John Denver. He was always a true gentleman.

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, March 19th @ Monoosnock Country Club. There will be a brief ceremony at 11:30 am followed by a luncheon reception. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Alzheimer's Association, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472.