Rhiel Funeral Home & Cremation Services Offering dignified services since 1919

Back to Obituaries

Wallace "Chuck" C Carlson Jr

Rhiel Funeral Home & Cremation Services

Wallace Charles Carlson Jr., of Menomonie, WI, beloved husband, brother and father, passed away peacefully in his sleep September 21, 2013. Chuck was born on the east side of St. Paul, Minnesota on September 12, 1938 to Wallace Charles Carlson and Dorothy Wenzel Carlson. After graduation from high school, and upon the advice of his father, Wallace Sr., a police detective, Chuck decided to serve his country by joining the U.S. Navy. A quote by John F. Kennedy was a favorite of Chuck’s, ”Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile…can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, ’I served in the United States Navy.’”

Chuck married Joann Carlson and had three girls while moving across the country as a Navy family. Chuck retired as an E9 Master Chief Petty Officer after twenty-two years.

Chuck then began his second career in academics, starting as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Stout at Menomonie. He married Judy Schindler. They both went on to receive their doctorates at the University of Northern Iowa, with Chuck returning to teach at UW- Stout in the Industrial Management Department. During his twenty-two years at UW-Stout, Chuck provided extensive consulting, especially in the ISO-9000 area.

After teaching at UW-Stout for 22 years, Chuck retired and began his third career at the High Sierra Company as a quality management consultant in the food industry. Throughout his life, Chuck enjoyed mastering his culinary skills and travelling with his family to many places—and especially to Paris which he loved more than anywhere on earth.

Those left to cherish Chuck’s memory are his wife Judy Schindler, his sister Linda (Brian) Krafthefer, daughters Laura (Fredrik Gustafsson) Carlson, Lynn (Larry Hoffstrom) Carlson, and Lonna (Bob) Stroinski; grandkids Dakota Carlson, Lovisa Gustafsson, Olivia and Adam Stroinski; nephews Allen Carlson, Craig Carlson, Andrew Krafthefer, Mark Carlson and niece Mary Krafthefer.

A celebration of Chuck’s life will be held October 5, 2013, with visitation from 1pm-3pm and a service at 3pm at Rhiel Funeral Home in Menomonie. Private interment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society (www.nmcrs.org ) or Patriot Paws (www.patriotpaws.org), an organization that trains service dogs for veterans.