Richard Carlsen

Richard (Rick) Carlsen died on September 21, 2018 at his home in Sunnyvale, California, aged 82. Rick was born in 1936 to John Carlsen and Helen Weber Carlsen. He grew up on the floathouse in West Birnie Slough on Puget Island. He went to the grade school on the Island and he graduated from Wahkiakum High School in 1953.

In 1954 Rick's father took the family for a year to his hometown in Norway, so that Rick and his siblings Rodney and Kayrene would be exposed to the Norwegian way of life.

During Rick's 3 1/2 years of military service in Germany he became fluent in German. Later he obtained a degree in German, which he then taught at the high school in Bend, Oregon.

In 1966 Rick moved to the Netherlands to work for IBM. There he met Maartje and in 1968 they were married. In 1969 they returned to the USA. They settled in Sunnyvale, California, where Rick worked for 30 years as a technical writer for various computer companies.

Rick was an avid collector and restorer of electric model trains.

After his retirement Rick and his wife spent their summers at their home on Puget Island.

Rick is survived by his wife Maartje, son John, daughter Sonja, two grandchildren and sister Kayrene Gilbertsen.

The cremation took place in private. An informal memorial get-together will take place in the spring of 2019 on Puget Island.