October 19- 1919 – October 26- 2017
Madeline Frances Carlson
October 19, 1919 – October 26, 2017
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CARLSON, Madeline Frances (nee Beetlestone).
On Thursday October 26, 2017, in her 99th year, our Wild Irish Rose passed peacefully, surrounded by her family, at Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington, ON.
Beloved wife of Donald H.E. Carlson (d. 1999). Loving mother of Madeline Anne Ellis (Desmond) of Oakville; Elizabeth Jane Davis, d. 1987 (Richard); Susannah Pamela Grace (d. 2009); Anthony Ernest Theophilus (Donna) of Waterdown; and Gustav Donald Michael (Susan) of Bedford, NY.
Cherished and adoring grandmother of Megan Madeline Brown (Michael) of Oakville; Theo Ellis of Oakville; Eric Davis (Melissa) of Montreal; Patrick Davis (Brittania) of Burlington; Kate Carlson (James Heaslip) of Hamilton; Jenny Carlson (Prince Mwenga) of Waterdown; Elizabeth Wilcox Carlson and Madeline Lee Carlson, both of Bedford, NY.
Beloved great-grandmother of Benjamin and Sarah Brown; Sawyer Davis; August Mwenga; and Andie Heaslip.
Madeline was born October 19, 1919, on the prairies of Vulcan, AB. The first child of Ernest and Beatrice Beetlestone, she helped work the family wheat farm and rode her much-loved horse, Jen, bareback for miles to a one-room schoolhouse. When the farm was wiped out in the Dust Bowl that ravaged the western prairies, the young Maddy, her parents and brother and sister packed their belongings – including the family piano – into two covered wagons and trekked north to the Peace River country, seeking shelter where they could and relying on the kindness of strangers for survival in a dangerous, untamed land.
It was a defining, character-building and vividly-remembered experience for young Maddy, especially when they were forced to trade her beloved herding dog, Trixie, for a new horse when one of their team came up lame.
The family settled in Grande Prairie where Maddy fell for the night-time news man on CFGP radio, Don Carlson, whose name, she initially thought, was the exotic Don Carlos. Married in 1941 in Calgary, Don and his “Wild Irish Rose” criss-crossed Canada, living in Toronto and Vancouver before finally settling in Oakville in 1959, where they raised their five children.
Madeline was an eternal optimist with an energetic and infectious love of life, and a fierce resiliency born of the challenges of her early years. She was caring and compassionate, with a gentle but firm hand – something that served her well as the mother of three creative daughters and two athletic sons. Mom raised her children to embrace every opportunity and to follow their passions of music, writing, sailing, baseball and academia, joys she readily celebrated alongside them. She was equally devoted to her grandchildren, showering them with love and hard-earned wisdom.
Combining the plain-spoken practicality of a farm girl with a natural elegance and beauty that dazzled and disarmed sophisticates, she was as comfortable at a sandlot ball field as at a black-tie gala. She was fair, fearless and without guile. Most important, she was the centre of our family, the apple of Donald’s eye and delighted in creating a welcoming home for an often-changing community of family and friends. The indelible twinkle in her eye, and her relentless inner strength remained until her last moments as – true to her nature – she defied all predictions and took her final breath on her own terms, in her own time.
We will be forever grateful for the compassionate care Maddy received for the last nine years from the loving staff at Sunrise Senior Living, Burlington. She loved them as they did her, and though in the last couple of years she was no longer able to express herself verbally, there was never any doubt that Sunrise was her home and where she was supposed to be.
Please visit with the family on Monday, Oct. 30, from 7-9 p.m. at Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Rd W., Oakville. We will celebrate her life on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 11:30 a.m. at St Jude’s Anglican Church, 160 William Street, Oakville.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.
“She is dearer by far than the world’s brightest star, and I call her my wild Irish Rose…” – Chancellor ‘Chauncey’ Olcott
SERVICES
Memorial Visitation
Monday, October 30, 2017
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home Inc.
64 Lakeshore Road West
Oakville, Ontario L6K 1E1
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Memorial Service
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
St Jude’s Anglican Church
160 William Street
Oakville, Ontario
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Madeline Frances Carlson – October 19- 1919 – October 26- 2017.source

Death notice for the town of: Oakville, Province: Ontario

death notice Madeline Frances Carlson – October 19- 1919 – October 26- 2017- mortuary notice Madeline Frances Carlson – October 19- 1919 – October 26- 2017