GARY RAYMOND CARLSON

GARY RAYMOND CARLSON of Wahpeton, ND died September 1, 2025 at the age of 80. He completed his funeral director internship in Crookston, MN before managing the Hustad Funeral Home in Fulda, MN. In 1974, Carlson and his wife, Jean, purchased Lindsey Funeral Home, which they renamed Lindsey-Carlson Funeral Home in Page, ND. In 1990, Carlson was employed as an operations manager with Vertin Family Funeral Homes in Wahpeton, ND. In this role, he oversaw funeral home operations across seven states until his retirement in 2012. Carlson served as president of the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association in 1993 and was a member of the Academy of Certified Funeral Service Practitioners. In 2007, he was appointed by Governor John Hoeven to the North Dakota State Board of Funeral Service, where he served a four-year term. In 2018, he was honored with a 50-year service pin from both the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association and the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association. He also served as chairman of the National Funeral Directors Association Insurance Board, representing North Dakota on the policy board from 1997 to 1999, and later serving as its executive director. Carlson earned a degree in mortuary science from the University of Minnesota in 1967.