Kenneth Leonard Carlson

Kenneth L. Carlson, 85, of Fishers, IN, passed away on April 11, 2021.  He was born January 15, 1936, in Detroit, Michigan to Leonard and Dorothy (Papke)  Carlson.  He attended St. Peter Lutheran School, followed by Concordia High School in Ft. Wayne, where he also attended junior college, intending to become a pastor.  Teaching, however, became his calling, and he transferred to Concordia Teacher’s College in River Forest, Illinois.  He went on to earn an undergraduate degree in education and began his teaching career in Texas. Always interested in learning, he subsequently received his doctorate in education from Wayne State University in 1970.  His career shifted to education administration and he served in the Wayne-Westland and Clio Community Schools before being appointed Superintendent of the Godwin Heights Public Schools in 1980, the position he held until his retirement from public education in 1991.  After his retirement, he taught college classes at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and at Ball State University after moving to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1997.

While at Concordia Teacher’s College, Ken met his wife, Marilyn, with whom he shared life’s journeys for 60 years.  Together they raised two children, Michael and Leanne, and were always active in their churches.  Ken lived his life as a servant-leader, working on the administrative boards at his churches, and he and Marilyn were always active in choir.   He was passionate about teaching the faith as well, teaching dozens of Bible studies over the years. Ken and Marilyn moved to Indianapolis in 1997, and joined Holy Cross Lutheran Church, where they have been members for over 20 years.   In Indianapolis, Ken was active on the Thrivent board and worked with Lutheran Child and Family Services.

After the Lord, his family, and his career, Ken was passionate about sports.  He played football, baseball, and basketball in his youth, and was proud of having an offer to pitch in the minor leagues, which he turned down to begin teaching.  He deeply loved all Michigan professional teams, particularly the Tigers, but even the Lions. He easily adopted the Indiana teams as well, once he became a Hoosier.

All of his life Ken had a plaque in his office that said “May we be lovers of people and users of things, and not vice versa,” and strongly believed in living that out.  He made friends and touched lives in all of the places he and Marilyn worked and lived, and always made an effort to stay in touch with people even if he was no longer geographically close to them.  He even got pretty good at text messaging to stay in touch with his grandchildren.

Ken is survived by his wife, Marilyn (Roth), his children Michael A (Linda) Carlson, and Leanne Carlson, and his sister, Joann Lenz.  He leaves 5 grandchildren – Nicholas, Frederick, Jacob, Marissa, and Lauren – as well as cousins, nieces, and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Holy Cross Lutheran School or the Sharing Place, both in Indianapolis.