Carl William Almblad

Carl William Almblad, born August 16, 1924, left this earthly life on May 3, 2019, with a faith that tells him that an even better life awaits him, that he’ll meet up with his parents, Elsie Buddenbaum and William Anders Almblad, and friends who have preceded him. Carl will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 67 years, Sarah, his three children, Lori Faye Bock and husband, Richard Bock of Abiquiu, NM, Jonathan Lee Almblad of Edinburg, TX, and Jill Marie Gore and husband Phillip Gore and grandchildren, Ryan and Bethany Gore of Apex, NC, brother David Almblad and wife Pat of Arlington Heights, IL, along with many other family and friends.

Carl’s parents enabled him and his brother to enjoy many experiences that played favorably into their future: piano and voice lessons, art classes at the Chicago Art Institute, woodworking, Boy Scouts, and biking adventures. No doubt his being drafted into the army during WWII created a lot of anxiety, especially while serving in the artillery when he was in combat in Belgium and Germany. Carl always maintained that “the draft rescued him from calculus” at IL Inst. of Tech. After the war he switched to architecture at Univ. of IL, where, in his last year, Harlan Bartholomew, a renowned city planner lecturer, made such an impression on him that Carl immediately knew that this was his calling.

Immediately upon graduation he began work at the Chicago Planning-Commission, followed by 35 years in Detroit with his beloved and visionary planning director, Charlie Blessing, one of his heroes. Carl’s work took him full circle from redevelopment to historic preservation, where his love of history and community were put to good use, particularly as he embraced outsiders, finding solutions to bring social groups together.

His early experiences with music extended throughout his life, from elementary and high school to church choirs, often in solo parts with his rich, deep bass voice. “A Balm in Gilead” was one he was asked to do many times. Listening to music also brought him much pleasure: Vivaldi, Mahalia Jackson and Barbra Streisand were among his favorites.

One “side effect” of Carl’s WWII experiences was a love for travel. He and his wife, Sarah, and often their three children, had the opportunity to travel extensively, Carl always with his trusted camera (Argus C3) by his side.

Carl’s love for reading and writing enriched his life immensely. Lincoln was his hero, and he has read as many books about him as possible, two rather recently. He loved poetry, especially that of Mary Oliver and Robert Frost.

During retirement in NC, Carl returned to his early art interest. A class with Duke University art professor, Ted Gravison, helped him brush up on his watercolor skills and regain confidence. Consequently he created over 150 paintings and participated in multiple art shows while being represented by The Mahler Art Gallery in Raleigh for 25 years.

Church has always been a significant part of his life. Having met Sarah at North Shore Baptist in Chicago where they were married, later moving to Detroit where they were members of Covenant Baptist for 35 years and for the last 30 years deeply immersed in the life of Pullen Memorial Baptist, Carl found rich blessings in putting his faith to work at church, in the community and with family and friends.

Carl’s greatest gift has been his role as husband, father and grandfather.

A celebration of Carl’s life will be held on Saturday, May 25th, 11:00a.m. at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC. with a reception following the service.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.