John Carlstrom

Our wonderful, humor-filled husband and father, John Emery Carlstrom, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at his Two Harbors home on Sunday, September 25, 2010 just a few days shy of his 93rd birthday. He was the only son born to Arthur and Hilma (Andersen) Carlstrom.

Dad was rarely without a twinkle in his eye, a smile on his face or a joke at the ready and never missed an opportunity to help others if possible. Showing his entrepreneurial spirit even as a teenager during the depression, Emery offered to help support the family by opening his own traveling popcorn and soda stand. After graduating Two Harbors High School, Dad moved to Hermosa Beach CA where he worked as an aircraft mechanic in the manufacture of the integral P-51 Mustang used by the British in early WWII. Learning of the attack on Pearl Harbor, he voluntarily enlisted to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corp (Air Force) and for 3 A� years was stationed at Bassingbourn Airbase in Royston, England. Back in Two Harbors, a not-so-chance meeting at the T.H. Lumberyard resulted in an impressive 63 year marriage to his sweetheart, Helen Ukkonen, and two children, Laura Kay and Lee Emery. His first career as an estimable journeyman plasterer allowed him to leave his creative stamp in structures throughout the Arrowhead region. In addition to mastering the now-lost art of plastering, Dad opened The LauraLee Dept Store on First Ave, successfully operating the business with Mom until his retirement at age 65. Dad truly loved life and was quite a creative storyteller! Some of the activities he enjoyed were fishing, hunting, traveling, and spending time with family and friends at his Marble Lake cabin. Among his peers in T.H., he was always known as an honest, hardworking, kind and reliable man. He used those traits in each of his endeavors within the community as well, such as his two decades as a board member of the Bayview Terrace Senior Living Complex as well as steer-heading a revitalization project of the downtown area businesses as a member of the T.H. Merchants Association. He was also a contributing member of the T.H. Masonic, VFW, American Legion, and Moose Lodges.

He will be dearly missed by his loving wife, Helen, daughter Laura Carlstrom of Houston TX; Son Lee Carlstrom and fiancAC.e Bonnie Lynch of Sandy UT, nephew, James Schiller and niece, Susan Schiller. Among those who transitioned before him are his parents and one sister, Ruth (Tootsie) Schiller.

Services will be held Thursday September 30, 2010 at 11:00am at The Masonic Lodge 631 2nd Avenue Two Harbors with lunch immediately following.