Gary R. Carlson

retired funeral director, Lindsey-Carlson and Baker Funeral Homes, Page, North Dakota; retired operations manager, Vertin Family Funeral Homes; past chairman of the NFDA Insurance Board; past representative of the NFDA Policy Board; and past president of the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association, died September 1, 2025, at age 80.

Carlson earned an associate degree in journalism from North Dakota State College of Science and a degree in mortuary science from the University of Minnesota. After graduation, he managed Hustad Funeral Home in Fulda, Minnesota. Later, Carlson and his wife purchased Lindsey Funeral Home and renamed it Lindsey-Carlson Funeral Home. In 1990, they relocated, and Carlson worked as an operations manager for Vertin Family Funeral Homes. He oversaw funeral homes in seven states until his retirement in 2012.

Carlson served on the Advisory Board for the National Red Cross Tissue Donor Program and was a member of the Academy of Certified Funeral Service Practitioners. In 2007, Governor John Hoeven appointed Carlson to the North Dakota State Board of Funeral Service, for which he served a four-year term. In 2018, he proudly received his 50-year service pin from both the North Dakota and Minnesota state funeral directors associations.

Carlson is survived by wife Jean, son Chris, daughter Cheri, six grandchildren, one great-grandson and two bonus grandchildren.