Allan Carswell

1930 - 2018

Allan Arnold Carswell
May 10, 1930 - August 25, 2018
Allan Arnold Carswell of Lubbock, TX passed away peacefully on August 25, 2018. He is survived by his brother Mike Carswell, his sister Kay Berg, son Allan (Bruce) and daughter in law Lisa Carswell of Lubbock, TX, daughter Suzanne and son in law Mike Charlton of Houston, TX, four grandchildren, Shawn, Allan, Erica, and Lindsay, and three great-grandchildren Rhordan, Aubriel, and Beckett. He was preceded in death by his wife Georgia, his parents, Gordon and Hazel Carswell of Kenosha, WI.
Allan was born in 1930 in Milwaukee, WI. His father moved the family to Wausau, WI when Allan was six years old and he graduated from Wausau High School in 1948. After high school, wanderlust set in and he climbed on a new Harley S125 and set off to see America. Short of funds, he took a job with the Great Northern Railroad in Whitefish, MT. He enlisted in the US Air Force, serving as a radar technician during the Korean War. He later attended Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. Using his education and USAF training, he obtained a job with the Civil Aeronautics Agency, soon to become the FAA. He would work nearly 30 years for the FAA, assigned to Spokane, WA, Wenatchee, WA, and finally Boise, ID.
While living and working in Spokane, he met his future wife, Georgia who was living in the same apartment building. They married in December 1959 and Allan promptly took her on a train trip to Wisconsin to meet his parents. She thought this was very romantic, not realizing that her new husband was a train enthusiast and she would get many more opportunities to visit and ride unique trains all over the world in the coming years.
Allan had a lifelong passion for history and especially railroads. He traveled all over the country, seeking out unique and obscure rail lines to photograph. He was especially interested in the steam powered Colorado narrow gauge lines, making several trips to chronicle the twilight years of their operation during the 1960's. He took the family on numerous vacations all over the US, almost always by car, sometimes with a 13' travel trailer and usually with at least one railroad to visit during the trip. After many years of this, Georgia was ready for a more relaxing way to get away from it all. Allan and Georgia then built a cabin, mostly by themselves, near Garden Valley, ID.
When they retired they started a new chapter in their lives and once again hit the highways, airways and even took a cruise to Alaska. They really enjoyed doing this at a more leisurely pace and often with a much larger RV. They also enjoyed several trips to Australia to visit their children as well part of the extended Carswell family.
He was quite proud of his two children's graduation from the College of Engineering at University of Idaho and the success they both have in their careers. Allan was also very proud that all his grandchildren have or are attending college, many with an engineering focus. In addition, he was also very proud that his oldest grandson Shawn followed his example and is serving his country in the US Army.
He passed away peacefully surrounded by family after a long battle with ALS. The family thanks the wonderful caregivers who helped him over the past two years. He kept his wit, sense of humor, and concern for his family right to the end.
Memorial Service will be held at a later date in Boise, ID prior to inurnment in the Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in his name to the ALS Association (http://www.alsa.org/faq/planned-giving.html) or 1275 K Street NW - Suite 250 - Washington, DC 20005.