Gerald Carlson

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gerald Eugene “Jerry” Carlson, 90, died Oct. 27, 2023, in Springfield, Ill.

A celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 14 at Concordia Village, Springfield, Ill. His ashes will be interred at Camp Butler National Cemetery. The family is being served by Butler Funeral Home, Springfield, Ill.

Gerald was born Oct. 28, 1932, in Hartington, to Knute Carlson and Esther (Lindahl) Carlson. He grew up on farms outside of Wausa, graduated from Wausa High School and attended Luther College in Wahoo.

He married Rosemary Ann Walgreen Sept. 5, 1952, in Osceola. They then moved to Sacramento, Calif., where he served in the Army as a military depot clerk during the Korean War. Upon completing his military service, they moved back to Wausa, where their daughter, Rene, was born.

Gerald’s joy of growing up on a farm led him to pursue an academic career in agricultural science, so they moved to Ames, Iowa, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy at Iowa State University.

It was there their other daughter and son, Shawn and Todd, were born. From there, the family moved to State College, Pa., where Jerry earned a Ph.D. in forage physiology and biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University.