Val E. Carlson was born April 13, 1939 to John Edwin and Grace (Dobner) Carlson in Brush, Colorado. He was baptized in the Methodist Church. Val graduated from Hillrose High School in 1957 and the National Electronic Institute, Denver, CO in 1958.
He was employed by Martin Marietta from 1958-1965 where he worked on the Titan I and Titan II Missile projects.
In 1961, he married Catherine (“Cathy”/“Kay”) Milne in Denver, Colorado. Together they had five children: Vanessa, Valerie, Sandy, Eric, and Craig. They were married for 18 years until Cathy’s death in 1979.
Val spent the greater part of his career with Great Western Sugar and later Western Sugar (1965-2002). His work took him to several locations, including Ft. Morgan, CO; Bayard, NE; Goodland, KS; and Scottsbluff, NE. In 2002, he retired as Master Mechanic of the Bayard factory.
In June of 1984, Val married Joy Johnson. Their marriage ceremony took place on the top of Scottsbluff National Monument. Together, they enjoyed square dancing and traveling. In their retirement, they were able to spend their winters in Yuma, AZ. Val kept busy with his hobby farm in the summer, golfing year round, woodcarving, karaoke, shooting pool, and dancing. He loved exploring the deserts of Arizona with his Jeep club. Always a fan of antique cars, he refurbished a 1940 DeSoto and together with his son Craig, he participated in the Sugar Valley Rally, a precision-driving contest for antique cars, for 10 consecutive years.
Val is survived by his wife, Joy Carlson; daughters, Vanessa (Ed) Bartels of Grand Island, NE, Valerie (Mike) Hraban of Billings, MT, Sandy (Greg) Erickson of Ypsilanti, MI; and son, Craig (Josie) Carlson of Billings, MT; Grandchildren: Aaron, Kylee, Danielle, David, Katie, MarySarah, Emily, Susan, Anissa and Caitlynn; Great-grandchildren: Sloane, Eric, Ila, Benedict and Francis; Stepchildren: Kurt (Beth ) Kisser, Karla Frailey, Kelley ( Anita ) Kisser; Step-grandchildren: Emily, Jacob, Joshua, Nick, Torry, Ravan, Tawni, Natasha and Nicole; Step-great-grandchildren: Miles, Marli, Isabella and Alexis; Sisters, Audrey, Phyllis, and Wanda Carlson; brother, Jim (Kathy) Carlson; and sister-in-law, Mary Carlson.
Val was preceded in death by his parents, John and Grace Carlson; first wife, Cathy; Son, Eric; step-son, Jamieson; brothers Loren, Alex, and Wayne; and sister, Nadine
Memorial donations/tributes can be sent to: Legacy of the Plains Museum https://legacyoftheplains.org/
Fond memories and messages of sympathy may be left for the Carlson family at www.dugankramer.com, and a memorial service will be held at a later date.
A celebration of life service will take place on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at the Legacy of the Plains Museum. Val’s final resting place will be at West Lawn Cemetery and guests are invited to join the family for a light luncheon at Legacy of the Plains following the burial.