Mr. Gordon Ray Carlson, formerly of Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, passed away August 4th in Atlanta at the age of 79.
Mr. Carlson was a loving father, grandfather and a friend to many.
Mr. Carlson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1931. As a young adult, he moved to Miami and then to Atlanta in 1959 to manage a bowling center for All American Bowling Corporation. He became Executive Vice President of Operations, and by the time he retired in 1985 the company owned and operated 46 bowling centers across the Southeast; he had a hand in all of them.
“A lifetime of work was spent in that span” recalled his business partner and life-long friend, Mr. Richard Stern of Atlanta, Ga.
Mr. Carlson was an avid traveler who experienced most of the world throughout his long life. He also enjoyed many sports, including golf, snow skiing in Steamboat, Colorado and white water rafting through the Grand Canyon.
He is survived by his children, Dean Carlson of Hailey, Idaho, Greg and Cissy Carlson of Peachtree City, Georgia, Barbara and Tommy Sanders of Conyers, Georgia, five grandchildren: Will, Anna, Ashley, Matthew and Zachary, and two brothers, Lee Carlson of Willow Springs, Illinois, and Loyal Carlson of Hemet, California.
Mr. Carlson wished to be cremated. Immediate friends and family will gather for a service Friday at Carl J Mowell and Son Funeral Home in Fayetteville, Ga.
