Robert ("Bob") William Carlson of Troutdale, OR passed away on May 3, 2022, at the age of 73 years with his wife of 54 years, Jerelyn Carlson, by his side. He was born on January 21, 1949 in Raymond, WA to Florence and Conrad Carlson. Bob graduated from Centennial High School in 1967. He proudly enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967 and served for 8 years, including 2-1/2 years in Vietnam as a helicopter mechanic and was honorably discharged.
During his time in the Army he married his high school sweetheart, Jerelyn Wagner. They raised their two daughters, Dayna and Kristin, together in Gresham, OR. Bob worked in residential construction for his high school friend where his handy woodworking skills were used. Then he worked in the service industry as a coffee service/repairman for several years. Later in his career, Bob was a coffee and juice salesman.
Bob's pride and joy was his family, including his four grandchildren: Hunter, Walker, Tyler and Emma. He also enjoyed fishing, traveling, watching his grandkids play sports and attending their various school activities and was always supportive and by their side.
Bob was always the first to volunteer to do handyman work for others and was very generous with his time and skills. He helped people at church, friends, family and anyone he could. He knew a lot about plumbing, electrical and just generally how things worked. Bob was known to frequent nearby casinos and was quite lucky at the slot machines wherever he went. He also volunteered to teach basic wood shop skills to high school students. Bob took pleasure in sharing his wood working knowledge with others.
Once Bob reached retirement age, he re-discovered his love for old cars and started his passion for tinkering on them and attending car shows as often as he could. Bob's first classic car was a 1955 Ford Farlane which he nicknamed Flo. His second classic car was a muscle car, a 1966 Ford Mustang. His third classic car was a more modern car, a bright yellow 2000 Plymouth Prowler. His fourth and final car was a 1970 El Camino which he recently took on a 5 day road trip to Redding, CA to attend the Kool April Days car show. He enjoyed the camaraderie with all of the other car show enthusiasts. Bob loved talking about anything car-related. He especially enjoyed showing people his car and all the improvements he had done.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Dave Carlson. Bob is survived by his brother, Ray Carlson of Redmond, OR, his wife, Jerelyn, his two daughters, Dayna Wright (and her husband Travis) of Gresham and Kristin Antich (and her husband Steve) of Beaverton, his four grandchildren Hunter & Walker Simmons, Tyler & Emma Antich.
At the end of life, what really matters is not what we bought, but what we built; not what we got, but what we shared; not our competence, but our character; and not our success, but our significance. Live a life that matters. Live a life of love.
Bob will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the 11th Armored Cavalry's Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia (scholarship fund) to be sent to:
Ollie Pickral
11th ACVVC
571 Ditchley Road
Kilmarnock, VA 22482
Checks should be payable to "11th ACVVC Scholarship Program."