Carlton Ellison, 90, died Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at Oakland Park Communities, Thief River Falls, MN.

Carlton Josef Ellison was born to Christ and Cora (Smedshammer) Ellison on October 13, 1918 at Valley City, North Dakota. He was raised on a family farm in Black Loam Township, LaMoure County, ND. He attended the rural township school there and one year high school in Hastings, and graduated from Verona high school in 1936.

Mr. Ellison attended Wahpeton State School of Science taking basic training in printing in 1937 and 1938. In December of 1938, he began employment at the Frazee Times, Frazee, MN. In 1940, he began employment at the Divide County Journal in Crosby, ND.

Carlton enlisted in the army the 17th of August in 1942. He then took basic electronic training at the Wahpeton State School of Science and University of North Dakota in Grand Forks before going into active service May 10, 1943. Basic training took place at Camp Davis near Sacramento, CA. Futher training was at Camp Crowder, MO and AT&T telephone near Boston, MA.

He departed overseas July 1, 1944 ending up at the Embassy in Moscow, Russia serving in teletype maintenance. He returned to the states and received his discharge May 1946.

August 31 of 1946, he began as an employee of the Foster County Independent of Carrington, ND for 25 years. From 1971 to 1983, he was employed at a commercial printing plant in Willmar, MN.

Carlton married Leota Henrikson at St. Ansgar Lutheran Church near LaMoure, ND in 1947. She was a registered nurse who worked at hospitals in Carrington and Willmar. After their retirement they moved to a lake near Henning, MN. In 1993, they moved to Moorhead, MN. Carlton was a member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Moorhead, MN.

Carlton is survived by sons: Clair (Suzy) Ellison, Thief River Falls, MN and Richard (Kathy) Ellison, Devils Lake, ND; 2 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; sister, Doris Dunn, Rocklin, CA; 2 nephews and a niece.

He was preceded in death by wife: Leota on May 26, 2008; grandson: Michael Ellison; sister: Wilma Olson, brothers-in-law: Fred Dunn and Marvin Olson.

ORGANIST: Ida Nordvall
SOLOIST: Jim Swanson