Leroy F. Carlson

Leroy Frederick Carlson, 93, of Port Orchard, WA, went home to God on Friday, June 3, at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Gig Harbor, WA.

Leroy was born on December 24, 1922, in Yakima, Washington, where he was raised on the family farm and apple orchard. From an early age, he was both athletic and intensely studious. As a child, in response to a dare from one of his sisters, he memorized and then recited, in one sitting, one hundred Bible verses. In high school, he lettered in tennis and graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. Leroy attended college at Seattle Pacific College, where he studied classics and classical languages including Greek, Hebrew and Latin. Shortly after World War II, he served in the U.S. Army in occupied Japan.

Leroy met his wife of 66 years, Evelyn, at a church youth group meeting held in an apple warehouse at the Carlson family farm. Leroy was 20 and Evelyn 15, and it was love at first sight. Although Evelyn’s parents were skeptical at first, Leroy eventually won them over by stressing his position as a Sunday school teacher. After several years of courting, Leroy and Evelyn were married in Selah Washington on January 14, 1950. Their wedding made such big news it was captured on the Yakima Herald’s society page.

After marrying Evelyn, Leroy obtained a Master’s degree in Divinity from North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois, and became ordained as a minister in the Swedish Covenant Church. Leroy and Evelyn spent several years in Cleveland, Ohio, where Leroy was the pastor of Bethany Covenant Church. They later relocated to Washington, where Leroy was the pastor of several churches, most recently Ronald United Methodist Church in Shoreline, Washington, and Port Orchard United Methodist Church in Port Orchard, Washington.

Throughout his life, Leroy was a passionate student of history, linguistics and literature. He read and traveled widely and loved to learn, to teach and to share knowledge with others. He was a wonderful public speaker, frequently drawing on his deep knowledge of history and languages (and humorous anecdotes) to provide context for the lessons in his sermons.

Leroy was equally passionate about the outdoors. He spent countless hours with Evelyn and his children fishing, camping, and hiking in the Cascades and the Olympics, and was especially fond of the Cascade Crest Trail. He also introduced many young people to the mountains through youth group hiking and camping trips. When hiking, Leroy always wore a hat that looked like the hats worn by forest rangers. Other hikers, thinking he was a ranger, would frequently ask him detailed questions—What is that flower? Where does this trail go?—when they came across him on the trail. Leroy could almost always easily supply an answer (and never admitted to anyone that he was not, in fact, a forest ranger). Leroy continued to be very physically active until very late in his life, walking the quiet roads of Port Orchard and tending dozens of rose bushes, dahlias, rhododendrons and tulips.

Leroy is survived by his loving wife Evelyn of Port Orchard, Washington; daughter Deborah Swigart and her husband Bill, of Bremerton, Washington, and their children Katherine (Jason) Wax and Sterling (Anna) Swigart, both of Seattle, Washington; his son Daniel Carlson and his wife Anita, of Port Orchard, Washington, and their children Christopher Carlson (Briana Chilcote) of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Jessica Carlson (Jesse Derma) of Bellingham, Washington; and his sister Alice Presson of Yakima, Washington. He is predeceased by his son David Carlson and his sister Gladys Wright.

A memorial service celebrating Leroy’s life will be held at Port Orchard United Methodist Church on Monday, June 20, at 11 am. The service will be followed by a reception in DeVries Hall at Port Orchard United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Leroy’s memory to the Port Orchard United Methodist Church Memorial or the Washington Trails Association ( www.wta.org ).