DWIGHT ­– Jewell Harry Carlson, 98, of Dwight passed away Wednesday, December 1, 2021. He was born September 4, 1923 in LaRose, Illinois, the son of Harry and Eleanor Bergquist Carlson. He married Marguerite Rhode on May 17, 1947 in St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Dwight. Surviving are four daughters: Linda (Dana) Rosendall of Lake Wales, Florida; Marcia (Phillip) Fayhee of Bloomington, Illinois; Laura Carlson (Mike Henderson) of Dwight; Kimberly (Jerry) Diss of Ransom, Illinois; and his two sons: Douglas (Catherine) Carlson and Robert (Christopher Palmer) of Pasadena, California. Seven grandchildren: Jennifer Robison, Rebecca Vandenberge, Brenton Fayhee, Sarah Stead, Megan Wright, Jeffery Carlson and Ashley Carlson; and nine great-grandchildren also survive. He was preceded in death by his wife, who passed away January 25, 2019, and his parents. Visitation was Friday, December 3, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at Hager Memorial Home, Dwight, Illinois. Funeral services followed at 11:00 a.m., also at the funeral home. Burial followed in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Dwight. He graduated from LaRose High School in 1941 and Chillicothe Business College in 1943. He was a survivor of the June 5, 1942 Joliet Arsenal Explosion in Elwood, Illinois, blown through the roof of the building when the explosion occurred at 2:45 a.m. He was listed as missing for two days. The explosion, so powerful it was felt 100 miles away and shattered windows in the southern fringes of Chicago,was said to have felt like an earthquake to residents of the northern suburbs along Lake Michigan. Mr. Carlson served in the U.S. Army from 1943 – 1945 during World War II in the China/Burma/India Theater, spending two years in the jungles of India as a member of the 745th Railway Operating Battalion. He moved to Dwight in 1946, starting a 32-year career as a railroad agent employed by first the Chicago and Alton; then the Baltimore & Ohio; then the Gulf Mobile and Ohio; and finally, the Illinois Central Gulf railroads. He was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church. Jewell will be remembered as a kind, gentle and caring man who loved nature and had a soft spot for animals. He also had a lifelong interest in anything automotive. Memorials may be made in memory of Mr. Carlson to Livingston County Humane Society, 21179 N. 1358 E. Road, Pontiac, Illinois 61764 – lchumanesociety.com

Share: