Anna,
lived in the Montavilla district in SE Portland when he was born.
The family didn't
own an automobile and it was around 1928 or 1929 that the Carlson family
started attending Swedish Baptist Temple. Dave was saved at Temple
during Dr. York's evangelistic meeting, and led to the Lord by Mrs. C. W. Anderson,
his Sunday School teacher in 1931. Dave was baptized
at Temple on January 31, 1934.Dave's early childhood was spent in the Montavilla neighborhood where Dave attended Vestal Grade School and in 1933, moved to Holliday Grade School for the 4th grade. Dave's parents were custodians at Temple for 10 years and lived in the apartment in the church, on the 2nd floor in the back. Holliday Grade School is the school that was located on the property across Seventh Avenue in front of the church where the Lloyd Tower and the related parking lots stand now. He attended Washington High School and Bethel College and Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. During his high school years, Dave was active in the youth program at Temple. In January 1943, Dave entered the U.S. Navy and was stationed in California and in the South Pacific aboard a Destroyer. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946. After the tour in the Navy, he went back to Bethel and graduated in the class of 1952. While at Bethel, he served as editor-in-chief of the Bethel Spire. Dave served as assistant pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, in Minneapolis, 1950-1952.
He married Betty Hallgren in 1951, at Temple Baptist Church. Betty's parents were Mr. & Mrs. Harley K. Hallgren who were members
of Temple. Dave's parents
were Mr. and Mrs. Victor Carlson who were also members of Temple. Dave had one
sister, Dorothy Bishop. Betty and
Dave have 3 children, Mary Beth Groff, Ann Louise Klinkhammer and Peter
John Carlson (who went to be with the Lord on March 2, 1980.) They are also blessed with six grand children: Peter, Matt and Ellen Groff in
Minneapolis and Katie, Molly and Joel Klinkhammer in Portland,
Oregon. Dave and Betty celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at Temple in 2001. In his adult years he held
various positions in the
church; Sunday School teacher, Sunday School Superintendent, Vice Chairman and
Deacon. Along with his wife, Betty,
he was administrator for the Oregon Baptist Retirement Home in1974 till his
retirement in 1988.
Dave was a person who wore many hats. For a while Dave and Betty had a
restaurant on NE 42nd. When River Oak Church in West Linn, was getting on its feet in the late 1950's, Dave
supplied the pulpit for a time until Leonard Hillstrom, the new pastor,
arrived. He loved the
Lord and his family. Dave was the Historical Secretary at Temple for a
while after his father in law, Harley Hallgren went to be with the Lord.