David Lee CARLSON

1941 - 2021

David Lee Carlson, 80, died July 15, 2021, at Providence Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington after a short illness.

David was born to Donald and Dorothy Carlson on March 7, 1941, in Elwood, Indiana. He graduated from Niles High School in 1959 and attended Western Michigan University before serving four years in the U.S. Army in Africa and the middle east.

After a short courtship between pen-pals, Joyce married David Carlson in Mineral Wells, Texas, in October 1965 before returning to Michigan where David worked in banking and where three of their children, Karen, Diane, and Eric, were born.

In 1976, David and Joyce moved to Boise when David became bureau chief for the Idaho State Department of Finance. Within the year, their youngest son Kurt was born.

In 1981, David became an independent bank consultant and computer programmer working with clients in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Indiana. Later that year, David and Joyce divorced before re-connecting a few years later. They remarried each other in 1990, moved to Indianapolis in 1994, and returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1998.

David was a skilled woodworker who made hand-crafted dulcimers and enjoyed drawing, photography, and painting. In 2005, David retired to create commissioned artworks for Mukilteo and Everett-area businesses.

In mid-2017, David and Joyce moved to Spokane to enjoy retirement and spend time with family. David enjoyed cooking, drawing, watercolor, and wine.

David leaves behind three children: Diane (Reed) Mahan, Eric Carlson, and Kurt (Dusty) Carlson. Grandchildren Elizabeth, Sarah, Sam, Cameron, and Colin (K.C.), Joyce's sister Carol (Bert) Luce, nephew Chad (Anna) Luce, and great-nephew Evan. David's brother Christopher, his infant daughter, Karen Marie, and his parents preceded David in death. Interment will occur in May at the Veteran's Cemetery in Medical Lake, Washington.