Florence Carlson

Florence Julia Bloom was born at home on March 13, 1920, in Concord, Nebraska, to David and Hilda Bloom and was registered at the Dixon County Courthouse as simply “Baby Girl Bloom”. A no name on the birth certificate eventually caused her problems, but she loved to tell the story of how she became a “real” person. The roads were muddy the day she was born. The doctor was six miles away and couldn’t get to their farm in his Model T, so David headed out with Yully and Bell to pick him up in the wagon. Florence arrived before the doctor. “I didn’t know I was supposed to wait for all those travelers,” she always said, “but then I didn’t have as far to travel either.”

Florence enjoyed growing up on the farm with three brothers, Harold, Herbert, and Clarence, and her little sister, Vivian. She loved to tell stories of her childhood life on the farm and wrote many of them in her book “Stories”.

She attended school in Concord through the 8th grade and then left school to keep house for her brothers, who were farming land some miles away. Eventually, with great determination, she was able to get her high school diploma and to attend St. Paul Bible College (now Crown College) in Minnesota, where she further developed her piano skills, learning to play “Evangelistically”, as she called it, by enhancing the music with flourish and finesse.

Growing up, Florence attended the Evangelical Free Church in Concord, where she caught the attention of Ivan Carlson, the handsome boy from church that all the girls were hoping would look their way. He asked her to marry him and she said “No” and moved with her parents to Albert City, IA. Ivan was a new pastor just starting out in ministry and low and behold he came to preach at The Albert City church. Her parents invited him to dinner and when he was leaving, Florence ran out to the car and said, “Ivan, will you give me a second chance?”. His heart soared and they were married on the 28th of December 1938 at the Free Church in Albert City. Their life together would take them from Iowa to Nebraska to Minnesota to Wisconsin to Michigan and back to Minnesota, serving primarily in the Evangelical Free Church but also at a Covenant Church, an independent church, and even for a while in Home Missions.

As a pastor’s wife, Florence served faithfully alongside Ivan while raising eight children, often in the early years, on very little income. She has shared stories of not knowing what they would eat for supper and God providing food from unexpected sources. God helped her multiply the loaves and fish many times (well, not the fish, she hated fish!). She cooked, cleaned, clothed, and care for her family well. She was a wife, a helper, a mother, a Sunday School teacher, a Bible School teacher, a Bible Study leader, a pianist, an organist, a singer, an organizer, a reader (she loved to read and often read to her children before bed), a writer, and a storyteller. Later in life she was able to fulfill her dream of writing a book of family history. She was a crafter, a seamstress, and a bread and pie baker “extraordinaire”. She referred to herself as a “jack of all trades and master of none”, but her family and friends would disagree; she mastered many things well.

She taught herself to play the piano at an early age and was gifted with the ability to play by ear and in any key as long as she knew the melody. She sang in quartets, trios, and choirs and sang duets, instinctively harmonizing on any song. Her gift of music was passed on to her children (though for some it was more the “appreciation” of music). “Name that Hymn” was a favorite, as was her ability to make up melodies on the spot; “play a thunderstorm, Mom”, “now a rippling brook”, “play a breeze through the trees”, “Mom, I can’t sleep, would you play Tenderly He Watches Over You?”.

Florence had a great sense of humor, which she put to good use performing monologues and skits for many ladies’ events. Because she was, in general, rather reserved, her humor and wit (along with her Swedish accent) caught everyone by surprise, bringing tears of laughter to each one listening.

When the youngest of her children was in junior high, Florence started working nights as a nursing assistant at the local hospital with the goal of having vacation money. She worked at the hospital in Watertown, MN, and in Thief River Falls, MN. Sewing and selling doll clothes before Christmas was another of her “extra” money making endeavors.

As a young girl, Florence believed in Jesus for salvation. She believed that Jesus Christ, The Righteous One, died for her sins and rose again, eternally triumphing over death and the grave and that she was given eternal life. She taught her children about Jesus, praying they would come to the knowledge of the truth and trust Him as Savior too. She was a good example of a true servant of Christ.

For 104 ½ years, Florence watched the world change before her eyes; horse and buggies to automobiles, outhouses to indoor plumbing, lamps to electricity, continual new inventions such as televisions, computers, AI, space travel, and more. War affected her family as well as the great depression. There were good times and tough times. Yet, through it all, she learned to trust in God. She relied on a faithful God who never changes. She would say, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

Those who remain to miss her are her children, Jim (JoAnn) Carlson of Minnetonka, MN, Dan (LeeAnn) Carlson of Longville, MN, Tim (Carol) Carlson of Mill Creek, WA, Corrie Carlson of Walker, MN, Joel (Donna) Carlson of Wabasha, MN, and Rose (Jay) Riffle of Longville, MN; sister, Vivian Sunblad of Albert City, IA; 19 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-granddaughter.

Florence was preceded in death by her parents, David and Hilda Bloom; husband, Ivan; sons, David and Jonathan; and brothers, Harold, Herbert, and Clarence.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at Brenny Family Funeral Chapel, Pine River. A visitation will be held the hour prior to the service. Burial will take place at the Riverside Cemetery in Longville, MN.