Burton N. Karlson

Funeral Services for Burton N. Karlson will be conducted from the Bethel Lutheran Church in Holdrege, Nebraska on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. with Reverend Kenton Birtell, officiating. Interment will be in the Prairie Home Cemetery at Holdrege with Military Honors provided by the American Legion Post #66 in conjunction with the United States Air Force Military Honors Team.

Burton Norman Karlson, 80 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away on Saturday, December 11, 2010 at the Golden Living Center in Franklin, Nebraska. Burton was born June 12, 1930 on the family farm north of Funk in Phelps County, Nebraska, the second of four children of Bert and Gladys (Norman) Karlson. He was baptized and confirmed at the Fridhem Lutheran Church in Funk. He received his primary education from the Prairie Rose School north of Funk through the eighth grade and then graduated from Holdrege High School with the class of 1947.

In January of 1951 he was inducted into the United States Air Force, stationed in Nashville, Tennessee and Champaign, Illinois, where he received classes and was trained for scheduling Paratroopers on where and when to jump. On December 23, 1951 he was united in marriage to Berdeen Friedline in Lincoln, Nebraska and then he resumed his duty at Elmendorf, Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska until his honorable discharge in December of 1954.

Three children were born to this union: Sherry, Brenda, and Dudley. Burton received a Certificate of Achievement after 24 months of training in the Institutional On-Farm Program offered by Kearney County in Minden by the State of Nebraska-Division of Vocational Education. He returned home to Phelps County and engaged in farming north of Funk until his retirement in 1997. In 2004, the family was honored by Ak-Sar-Ben with the Pioneer Family Award for continuous ownership of the family farm for 100 years.

He was a past member of the Fridhem Lutheran Church in Funk and current member of the Bethel Lutheran Church in Holdrege, where he served on both church boards. Burton was also a member of the Holdrege CO-OP Association Board, the ASCS Board of Directors, honored as the 2000 Swedish King, past Commander of the V.F.W. and a member of the American Legion. He was also a licensed pilot and a member of the Flying Farmers.

Burton enjoyed hunting with his family and loved to play cards. In 1978, a highlight of his life was a trip to Sweden. In 1999, he returned to his homeland again with three generations to visit his Karlson family.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a grandson, Jason Alan Wagner; five brothers-in-law: Randall Fandry, Jim Gessford, Conrad Boehler, Laurel Borden and his wife, Ila and Bud Nelson.

He leaves to mourn his passing his wife, Berdeen of Holdrege; two daughters: Sherry Damrow and her husband, Dennis of Johnson Lake, Nebraska and Brenda Wagner and her husband, Mark of Rosemount, Minnesota; one son, Dudley Karlson and his wife, Linda of Holdrege; six grandchildren: Lynse Schmidt and her husband, Tim, Shannon Wagner, Barton Damrow, Kelsey Wagner, Kayla Karlson and Jared Karlson; two great-grandsons: Austin and Cael Schmidt; three sisters: Erlene Gessford of Hastings, Nebraska, June Boehler of Orleans, Nebraska and Gayle Fandry of Hastings; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege from 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. with the family greeting friends from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

A memorial has been established in his memory and kindly suggested to Alzheimers Research and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.