Ellen Carlson

Ellen Carlson, 95, a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and a woman whose deep faith was a central part of her life, died peacefully on March 25 at Brighton Gardens, Paramus, her home for the last eight years. She and her late husband, John, had lived in Cliffside Park, River Edge, and Bergenfield for many years before moving to Brick Township in the early 1970s. They both were born in Nampnas, Finland where they attended elementary school together. As teenagers in the late 1920s, each came to the United States in search of a better life. They met again at a Swedish Baptist Church in the Bronx, NY and were married there on September 22, 1934, a union that lasted for more than 60 years until John's death in 1995. Ellen was a member of First Baptist Church, Hackensack for more than 20 years, and had been a member of Osbornville Baptist Church in Brick since 1985. In addition to her husband, Ellen was predeceased by her oldest daughter, Ann Bergholt, in 1989. She is survived by her son, Robert, and her daughter, Nancy Weissinger, and her husband, Donald. She also is survived by her seven grandchildren: Bonnie Carlson-Green and her husband, Martin; Robert E. Carlson and his wife, Carolyn; Karen Kaslow and her husband, Martin; Wendy Holden and her husband, Craig; Gail Henn and her husband, Michael; Krista Bergholt; and James Bergholt and his wife, Felice. She also is survived by eight great-grandchildren: Carter and Caroline Green; Rachel and Robert Carlson; Katy and Lindsay Kaslow; and Jonathan and Andrew Holden. Additional survivors include three nieces: Marie Koehler and her huband, Edward, and their daughter, Joan; Ruth Pollini and her husband, Charles; and Doris French and her husband, Richard. Visitation is Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Volk Leber Funeral Home, 268 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell. Interment will be on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Ocean County Memorial Park, Silverton, followed by a memorial service at 12 noon at Osbornville Baptist Church in Brick. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ellen's memory can be made to Osbornville Baptist Church, 366 Drum Point Road, Brick, NJ 08723.

Ellen Carlson

March 25, 2008