Everett was delivered by Dr. Quinn in 1932 on the family farm south of Burke. He was the 3rd boy out of 9 children, born to Lloyd and Emma Carlson. The family was like most during that era, hard working against the many struggles of living in rural South Dakota in the 30's.

Everett went to the Klug school. He drove a team of horses to pick up the neighborhood kids when the weather was cold, and when the weather was warm he ran across the pastures with his brothers and sisters to get to school. Milking cows, playing with rocks, chasing the goat, and baseball kept them all very busy.

In fact, you rarely saw Everett without a baseball uniform on. Family photos usually include a glove in the background or Everett ready to take off to play ball.

After Klug school he graduated from Burke in 1951. He started farming with his dad until he and his two brothers went to Korea, and Everett came back to continue farming in 1954. He loved being on the farm.

In 1976, he met Cheryl. While he may have taken his time finding the love of his life, he found one of the best. She brought her son, Kip, to Burke and they started their family. In 1979, Zeb was born. Everett had his boys and wife on the farm with him, and he was as happy as could be.

Shortly after meeting Cheryl, he joined the Grace Lutheran Church in Burke. Sunday mornings were church, and Sunday afternoons were fried chicken and chopping wood. His faith was important, and kept him strong through droughts, cold winters feeding calves, hogs selling too low, and all of the other trials of a farmer's life.

He will forever be proud of growing up on the farm, taking care of his cattle, tolerating his hogs, winning a heated game of No PeeKee against his buddies in Jamison, his 12 years on the Burke school board, his friends in the VFW and the American Legion, his many years umpiring baseball and his induction into the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, talking to Mrs. Karbo's fifth-graders about the Korean war, being in the color guard, the Cubs & Twins, and his wife and boys. He was happiest in front of a warm fire, watching a ball game and cracking jokes with Cheryl after a hard day's work on the farm.

We hope that heaven doesn't have musk thistle or prairie dogs, Everett, and you're able to ride your horse in a pasture full of shorthorn cattle. We hope there are Minneapolis Moline tractors and good Chevy pick-ups, juicy steaks that don't need A-1 sauce, vanilla ice cream with saltine crackers, and that the Cubs & Twins win a game here and there.

All of us appreciate the caring community of Burke over the past years, and believe that the staff of the Burke, Yankton and Sioux Falls Sanford hospitals deserve a straight path to heaven. While the past few years have been hard on Everett's body, you've treated him with respect and let him treat his cancer with grace and patience, just as he wanted.

He leaves behind his forever love, Cheryl; Kip and Zeb, and his special "daughter" Marla.  Grandkids Danni, Taylor, Drake and Colten, as well as his family, the Gonzales (He adored being Heidi's American Grandpa). His brothers Lowell, Carl, Bobby and Lloyd and sisters Emily and JoAnn, as well all of their spouses and children and grandchildren: He cherished all of you very much. Cheryl's mother, Claudine, and brother, Jerry & his beautiful wife Joana, will miss him terribly, as they held him in the highest regard.

He missed his mother and father and spoke of them often. His neighbor, brother and best friend Harlan, sister Marilyn, as well as his father-in-law, Sandy Swedlund, and brother-in-law, Joel.

Again, thank you. Burke is a wonderful community and everything all of you have done over the past years will not be forgotten.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you contribute to a memorial that will be used to begin a fund for an Everett Carlson Scholarship in the Burke Public School.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 2:00 PM at Grace Lutheran Church in Burke. Burial will be in the Graceland Cemetery, Burke. There will be a prayer service on Friday at 7:00 PM at the Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services at the Church.