Obituary of Fred Alphonse Carlson, Jr.

Fred Alphonse Carlson, Jr. died peacefully at Holston Valley Hospital in Kingsport Tennessee at the age of 91 on May 2, 2020. He was predeceased by his loving wife, Shirley Ratcliff, two months earlier, and by his first wife, Winifred Olson in 1987.

 Born June 12, 1928 in Noorwood, MA, he was the son of Fred Carlson Sr. and Astrid Peterson where he grew up with his three siblings, Betty, Neil, and David. He graduated from Bowdoin College, married Winifred in 1951, and was a loving father to their two daughters. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and worked at Holliston Mills in MA where he started as a truck driver. He worked his way up to plant manager moving to Kingsport, TN with the company and he worked there until his retirement.

 Fred was a kind hearted and generous man. He lived life to the fullest and had a great sense of humor. His passion was golf and he played until his 90’s. He also loved boating and spent 10 wonderful years with his wife, Shirley, living on their boat during the winters. They then retired to Florida, where Shirley gifted him his much loved dog, Rocky.

He is survived by his daughters, Cindy and Donna (Laval) , 5 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren from the Carlson side of the family; and 3 children, Paula (Keith) , Louise (Todd) and Darby (Teresa) ; 5 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren from the Ratcliff side of the family; and his brother, Neil (Marilyn).

Cindy and Donna would like to say thank you to all those who made Fred’s life better following the difficult transition back to Kingsport last year. A special thanks goes out to Eric Carlson, Louise and Todd Dickson, Darby Ratcliff, and the residents and staff at Asbury. May God bless you for your care and compassion.

 A celebration of life will be held after the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. Messages of condolences may be sent to donna_grimard@hotmail.com.