Catherine Gayle Carlson

CARLSON, Catherine (Ruggles) – of West Olive, MI, formerly of Davison, MI, age 76, passed away on October 27, 2025, after her courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease. A Funeral Service will be held at 11 AM Monday, November 3, 2025 at Allen Funeral Home, 9136 Davison Road, Davison, MI 48423; Pastor Curtis Rider officiating. Interment will take place 1:30 PM Tuesday, November 4, 2025 in Great Lakes National Cemetery, 4200 Belford Road, Holly, MI 48442. The family will receive visitors from 4-7 PM on Sunday, November 2, 2025 at Allen Funeral Home. There will be one hour of visitation prior to the service on Monday. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Calvary Baptist Church, PO Box 457, Evart, MI 49631, in Catherine's memory.
Catherine was born in Flint, MI on August 8, 1949, daughter of the late Glenn and Lois (Dafoe) Ruggles. She married Pastor Wilford Carlson on June 14, 1969, in Flint, MI and served in the church through the role of a Pastor's wife for 16 years. She was the bookkeeper for United Way in Wexford County, MI, and several other organizations. Catherine had an avid passion for reading and loved her flowers. She was also known to be a trivia buff, completing complicated word puzzles and loved dealing with numbers. You could catch Catherine rooting for her local Michigan Sports Teams on a typical weekend afternoon. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family and friends.
Catherine is survived by her loving husband of 56 years, Wilford; children, Melissa Potvin and Mark (Nikki) Carlson; grandchildren, Andrea Potvin, Rachael Potvin, Sarah Potvin, Ethan Carlson, and Hannah Carlson; great-grandchild, Addilyn; brother, Leonard Ruggles; and many other loving family members and friends. She was preceded in death by her grandson, Tristen Carlson; daughter-in-law, Laura Carlson; siblings, Joyce, Jim, Norman and Ron. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Catherine, please visit our floral store.