On Saturday, April 18, 2020, the world lost a wonderful man. Richard W. Carlson Sr. of Sparta, N.J., died after a brief illness. He was 79.
He was a retired land surveyor licensed in New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Louisiana.
Richard was born in New York City and moved to Carmel, N.Y., in his teens. During his varied career as a land surveyor he lived in New York City, Long Island, N.Y., San Antonio, Texas, and New Jersey.
Richard had a hilarious dry sense of humor, was a fun grandfather who was an expert "hide and seek" player. Originally a Brooklyn Dodgers fan he became a lifelong Mets fan after the Dodgers left NY.
He was a talented artist, a world traveler and loved country music, but most of all Richard was an avid reader of mystery novels, fiction and history books.
Richard is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 55 years, Claire; his beloved children, Karen (Mirko) Delgado and Richard Jr. (Jeanette); his adored grandchildren, Sarah and Ben; and John Hanlon, who was like a son.
He was predeceased by his parents and his sister Jean.
A memorial service will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Memorial Sloan Kettering-NYC and United Way Northern NJ-ALICE Recovery Fund.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Goble Funeral Home, Sparta.