Wesley Carlson

Wesley W. Carlson, age 91, of Atwater, Minnesota, died Friday afternoon, Feb. 3, at the Bethesda Pleasant View Nursing Home in Willmar. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Atwater United Methodist Church. Interment will be at Union Cemetery in Atwater with Military Honors provided by the Atwater American Legion Post. Visitation will be from 5-7 pm on Friday, Feb. 17, at the Peterson Brothers Atwater Funeral Home and will continue for one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Wesley was born on July 1, 1920, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Walfrid and Florence (Anderson) Carlson. He grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from Minneapolis South High School in 1938. Wesley studied violin at the Mac Phail School of Music until March of 1942 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He attended the Navy School of Music in Washington D.C. for a year and then was shipped out in a fleet band to North Africa and served overseas from May of 1943 to April 1945. His next duty was with the band of the Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet aboard the U.S.S. Pocono and was discharged from the Navy on April 8, 1948. In October of 1948, Wesley began studies at the University of Minnesota in Music Education. He graduated in 1952 and taught the full music program in Atwater and directed the church choir at Bethel Lutheran in Willmar. In 1955, he joined the Mounds View school system to start the elementary orchestra program. During this time, Wesley directed the choir at St. Petri's Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and also played for several years with the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra. On June 20, 1959, at the Atwater United Methodist Church, Wesley married Ethel (Peterson) Hoagland. They and son Peter Hoagland moved to New Brighton. Wesley was an active member of the Sunrise United Methodist Church in Mounds View where he directed the church choir for about 25 years. After retiring from teaching, he and Ethel moved to Atwater in January of 1985 and became a member of the following: Atwater United Methodist Church, Kandi Yo-Hi-Lo Barbershop Chorus, Willmar Symphonic Orchestra and the Atwater American Legion Post. Wesley's private claim to fame perhaps was having joined the 6:00 am early morning swimmers at the Willmar Jr. High school in 1985 and continued until 2009. He is survived by his wife, Ethel of Atwater; three children, Peter Hoagland of Willmar, David (and Sally) Carlson of Vadnais Heights and Kristin (and Dr. Billy) Hargis of Fayetteville, AR., and five grandchildren. Also surviving is a sister, Elsie Canning of Sun Lake, AZ., besides other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents. Wesley's family would like to thank Bethesda Pleasant View, Rice Hospice and all the others who have been caring for Wesley.