Dr. Kenneth P. Carlson

1927 - 2023

Carlson, Dr. Kenneth P.

August 14, 1927 - June 7, 2023

One of God's finest creations has passed away. In the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Dr. Kenneth P. Carlson, 95, left this life for the next, leaving behind a legacy of love, faith, service to others, and countless family and friends whose own lives have been touched by his gentle presence.

Ken was born August 14, 1927 in Mott, N.D., the son of a Lutheran minister and school-teacher mother of Norwegian heritage. He was raised with his two sisters in a number of small towns whose churches his father served in the upper Midwest, giving one service in English and the other in Norwegian, and spent most of his formulative years in Bemidji, Minn. After WWII began and his father became a wartime chaplain in the Pacific theater, Ken attended high school at St. John's Military Academy – primarily to help prepare him for expected military service when turning 18. But when that day came WWII was ending, so he enrolled in St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., where he not only excelled in academics, but also as an outstanding trumpet player and talented baritone singer in its renowned orchestra and choirs.

After a year of college, Ken was unsure of a career so he volunteered for the U.S. Army to help find direction. He initially qualified for the prestigious Army band, but instead of accepting the position, and in keeping with his lifelong desire for meaningful service, he instead elected infantry where the greater need seemed to be. And it was during officer candidate school at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., that he met the love of his life, Mary Jean Kilgore, on a blind date which would lead to 69 years of wonderful marriage before she passed away in 2018.

It wasn't long before Ken and Mary Jean were engaged. Then in 1948, after he received the top Honor Graduate award for his OCS class, the Army shipped him to what is now the demilitarized zone near the 38th parallel in Korea. Once there, he served as a Second Lieutenant in charge of a platoon of soldiers and experienced the war-to-come by engaging with North Korean forces infiltrating into the territory they guarded. Ken also spent time with General William F. Dean, who became the commanding major general of American troops during the Korean War. They grew close, and Gen. Dean offered Ken the honored position of becoming his personal aide-de-camp, which if accepted would have meant a longer tour of military duty and being continually at his side. Ken considered but declined the offer, citing his engagement with Mary Jean and a developing desire to become a medical doctor after leaving the service. That turned out to be one of the most important decisions in his life, as war broke out a year later and Gen. Dean with the 24th Infantry were at the forefront of opposing invading forces. Gen. Dean was also badly injured and captured during the bloody battle of Taejon in 1950, spending the next three years as a POW.

When Ken returned from Korea, he left active duty and promptly married Mary Jean in 1949. He then attempted to move her north during a brief enrollment in the University of Minnesota, but after she essentially cried at the sight of every southbound train they returned to Georgia where he renewed his studies at Emory University in Atlanta. Ken graduated from Emory in 1951, then from Emory's School of Medicine in 1955. Following a surgical internship and assistant residency at Emory, he and Mary Jean with their now three young children moved to Winston-Salem in 1957 to complete a urological residency at the Wake Forest Bowman Gray School of Medicine. Money was tight, so Ken during his residency again volunteered for the military – this time a five-year commitment in the U.S. Air Force – two years at Andrews AFB near Washington, DC, and three at Tachikawa AFB in Japan. While in Japan, Ken attained the rank of Major and helped establish urological clinics throughout the country, often traveling to the Philippines to also treat injured soldiers from the escalating Vietnam War. The family then returned to Winston-Salem in 1965 after Ken left the Air Force, and he became a founding partner of Lyndhurst Urological Associates where he practiced medicine until retiring in the early 1990s.

"Dr. Blue Eyes", as the nurses often called him, was known as a dedicated, outstanding physician whose kind and positive outlook on life, quiet humor, humble nature and basic goodness touched so many lives. Just some of his many ways of giving back professionally to others including starting a urology clinic to serve rural Ashe County, going on numerous medical missionary trips to Central America, volunteering his medical services in community clinics, and helping bring the then-new urological technology of lithotripsy to our area in the 1980's. Ken was also instrumental in starting the Hospice & Palliative Care Center (now Trellis Supportive Care) in Forsyth County, especially by coordinating efforts within the medical community and helping unite our two large hospitals to support the center. For that and his repeated dedicated service on the Hospice Board of Directors, Ken was later honored as a Director Emeritus.

Throughout his life, Ken was guided by a strong Christian faith and a commitment to actually put his faith into action. A long-time member of Centenary UMC, he was also part of many charitable organizations and causes, and in addition to Hospice was especially drawn to the outstanding missions of The Salvation Army, Senior Services, Forsyth Technical Community College, and the Winston-Salem Kiwanis Club. Of all Ken's civic involvement, perhaps none were more important than The Salvation Army of Greater Winston-Salem where he started volunteering in the 1970's and served many years on its Advisory Board, eventually being honored as one of its few Lifetime Members. Ken also performed countless physicals for children attending its annual summer camp, and so generously gave of his time, talents and financial resources that the Salvation Army named its new local Boys & Girls Club facility after him. Ken's interest in caring for and advancing the interests of area youths led to his serving on the National Board for Girls, Inc., and being presented The Gold Medallion Award, the highest honor given by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

The list could go on with all the talents, involvements and achievements God enabled through the almost 96 years of this wonderful man's life. But suffice it to say that our immediate and extended families are so blessed and thankful to have had him as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother, friend and loving inspiration for so many years. He loved us and we loved him more than words can ever say – and if the world was filled with more people like him, it would be a much better world indeed.

Ken was preceded in death by his beloved and devoted wife, Mary Jean, who passed away in 2018. He is survived by their daughter Rebecca Jean Smith (Andrew) of Winston-Salem; son Kenneth P. Carlson, Jr. (Melanie) of Winston-Salem; daughter Carolann Lineweaver of The Villages, Fla.; grandchildren Brandon Smith (Lauren), Wesley Smith (Terri Tsang), Dr. Lindsay Veazey (John), Elizabeth Robb (Mike) and Kathryn Carlson (Page West); and great-grandchildren Emmarie Veazey, Robert Veazey, Wyatt Robb, Avery Robb, Elouise West and Tyler Smith.

A memorial service to celebrate Ken's long and beautiful life will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at Centenary United Methodist Church, 646 W. 5th Street, Winston-Salem, with a reception to follow in the church's Memorial Auditorium. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Ken Carlson Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, 2100 Reynolds Park Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27107; Senior Services, Inc., 2895 Shorefair Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27105; Centenary United Methodist Church (address above); or another charity of your choice. Online condolences may be made at www.salemfh.com.

Salem Funerals & Cremations

120 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101