Martha Elaine Carlson

Martha Elaine Carlson, age 76, a resident of Lynnwood, Washington, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. She was born to John and Selma Carlson on August 25, 1944, at Providence Hospital on Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington.

Martha resided in the Seattle area throughout her life. As a newborn, she lived with her parents in a small apartment on Harvard Avenue near downtown. When sister Grace arrived in August of 1945, the family moved to a two-room cabin at Richmond Beach. Sister Carol was born in February of 1947, and the following spring the family moved to the property where Martha’s father, with the help of uncles and Grandpa Chris Holmgren, would build the family home. They lived in a one-room 14' x 14' tent for many months until the new house was ready. Many stories have been told of life in the tent, one of which was how Gramma kept a tidy house—which included sweeping the dirt floor! Martha and her sisters were raised in the newly built home in Richmond Beach.

Martha was educated at Richmond Beach Elementary, Butler Junior High, and Shoreline High School. While in high school Martha decided to focus on business classes. Upon graduation in June of 1962, she enrolled in a business course at the Automation Institute of Seattle. This training led to her first job at the Northwestern Life Insurance Company, first as a file clerk and then in the claims department. In February of 1964, Martha started working as a policy typist at the Canadian Indemnity Insurance Company on the eighth floor of the Joshua Green Building in downtown Seattle. In 1967, Martha took a job with the Seattle School District in the library catalog department. In the late 1970s Martha began her career at Boeing and worked as a secretary in a classified section until her retirement around 2010. In this position she was responsible for a group of engineers. Due to the sensitive nature of the work, a security clearance was required. A highlight of her employment at Boeing was going with colleagues on a work trip across the country to Atlanta. Martha’s nieces and nephews fondly remember going to the annual Boeing open house with Auntie.

Martha was baptized on October 22, 1944. She grew up attending the Apostolic Lutheran Church in Ballard, where she was confirmed along with sister Grace on April 28, 1959. In her younger years, Martha was active in the congregation, and she enjoyed serving as the organist for many years. Martha’s Christian faith was especially important to her. She was a lifelong member of the Apostolic Lutheran Church of Seattle.

Martha was known for her outgoing nature, her interest in people, and her love of animals. Her cat Garfield was a loyal companion for many years. Martha was very family oriented, and she cared about everyone in the family. Her nieces and nephews meant the world to her. They each have many precious memories of fun outings, conversations, and quality time spent with Auntie.

Since the Mixons lived so close to her, they share everyday memories of Auntie. Saturdays were a big day, especially if there was a McDonalds Monopoly game in progress. The two Mixon nieces would be picked up early that morning. Auntie’s goal was to hit all the McDonalds in the area. The plan was they each would order one item as they would be hitting at least five McDonalds. In between each course they would go to the Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Richmond Beach libraries. As Auntie and Grampa were both avid readers, they could leave carrying nearly 20 books from each library. They would end their tour at Gramma and Grampa’s. There were also many sleepovers at Auntie’s apartment, where the girls would build tents and dance to Auntie’s “Greece Lighting” record.

Auntie was terrified of snakes whether alive, dead, pictured, or locked up at the zoo—she was even afraid of anything made of them. This meant loads of fun for those nieces and nephews. Lora, specifically, loved to torment her, holding a snake in wait outside the bathroom door to surprise her oh-so-loving Auntie. Or chasing the poor woman with a pair of snake-skinned shoes out the front door into her car, sliding across the front seat and out the passenger side. Oh, it was fun!

Auntie was also known for her love of sweet treats. She made most of the desserts for Sunday dinners at Gramma and Grampa’s. One of her favorites was Danish raspberry pudding with fresh whipped cream.

In her later years, Martha was famous for her homemade birthday cards. She would handpick special pictures focusing on the birthday person, adding a special memory along with loving words. Martha was also well known for her photography hobby, taking pictures of all the attendees at everyone’s special events. During her mother Selma’s advanced age, Martha was dedicated to her care. In her retirement years, Martha did extensive work on the family genealogy, and she wrote a history book on Selma’s life that we all treasure.

Sister Grace was Martha’s everyday companion, the person she called several times a day to share thoughts or bits of information she would learn about the extended family on Facebook. The sisters’ weekly Barnes & Noble run ended with lunch and a treat in the café. These are memories that Grace will hold close to her heart.

Martha is survived by her sister Grace Mixon of Bothell, Washington; her sister Carol Johnson and brother-in-law Ben of Astoria, Oregon; and her nieces and nephews Leah, Gene, Cheryl, Lora, Merry, Sally, Ellen, Nathan, and Tami along with their spouses. Martha is also survived by numerous grand- and great-grandnieces and nephews and many cousins. The Norwegian relatives held a special place in her heart. Martha is survived by Cousin Marie Johnsen of Moss, Norway. Martha was briefly survived by her brother-in-law Donald Mixon, who was called home to be with the Lord six days after her passing.

Martha was preceded in death by her Holmgren and Karlsen grandparents; her father, John Carlson (Karlsen); her mother, Selma (Holmgren) Carlson; and many beloved aunts and uncles.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the Seattle Apostolic Lutheran Church or to the care of her beloved sister Grace, c/o Ellen Bynum.