Iva May Carlson

Iva May Carlson: A life filled with music, laughter and a colorful collection of clowns. On February 24, 2017, Iva May (Smith) Carlson of Yreka went home to be with the Lord. She was 86 years old, and is finally at peace after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She is survived by her devoted husband and caregiver, Dale Carlson; two daughters, Elin Carlson of Northridge and Lisa Clay of Madera; two grandchildren, Ashley Clay of Hollywood and Jaime Clay of Fresno; and a sister, Nadine Roberts of Mountain Home, Idaho. She was preceded in death by her parents, Avis and Halbert Smith, and her sisters, Lelace Gregory and Marilyn Fasoletti. Iva was born in Reno, Nevada on May 26, 1930, and shortly after settled with her family in Scott Valley. They lived in Etna until 1940, when they moved to the family ranch on Kidder Creek, which had no electricity or running water at the time. She wrote a book of short stories about her adventures there with her parents and sisters. This is one of them... “Christian Service: When we moved to the farm from Etna, Mama said that we must help to keep the little Greenview Methodist Church going. We had been attending the Federated Church in Etna (Congregational and Methodist.) I taught myself to play my grandmother’s pump organ. I played well enough to play the hymns. One Sunday morning when I was about twelve years old, the congregation and I were enjoying the sound of a lively hymn. Suddenly a wasp landed on my hand and had a great time stinging me. I was very shocked, but I kept right on playing so as not to spoil the singing or to cause alarm. I waited until later to do the screaming at home. Our little church always had open windows in the summertime. Anything or anybody could come and enjoy the service. That wasp hadn’t yet heard the message about “loving one another.” And he didn’t like music. In spite of his attitude, I played all four verses. When we sang “Amen”, I really meant it.” Iva graduated from Etna High School in 1948 and went to study music education at University of the Pacific in Stockton. In 1951, after receiving her Associate of Arts degree, she returned to Etna to work at Scott Valley Bank and save up some money. During this time, she was instrumental in leading the music program at her church, played the piano in a local dance band, and was a leader for the Camp Fire Girls. Deciding to pursue her career in music, Iva moved to Palo Alto, in 1955. She often told the story of getting off the bus when she arrived, had no idea which way to turn, yet heard a certain “still small voice” tell her to turn right. She did, walked into a bank just down the street, and was hired on the spot to work as a teller! She sang in the choir of the local Methodist church in Palo Alto, which is where she met Dale Carlson, who courted her over cups of coffee. They were married on April 5, 1958. Putting all other career ambitions aside, she became an expert homemaker, and enjoyed cooking, sewing, gardening, managing the household and being a mother. She loved singing with her sisters, and passed her passion for music on to her daughters. She loved clowns, and acquired an extensive collection of whimsical artwork and figurines which ended up filling one of the bedrooms in their house. Iva laughed easily, and was always the joyful life of the party. One of her favorite Bible verses was “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”-Philippians 4:13. A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 2:00 PM at the Etna Cemetery in Etna.

Iva May Carlson

May 26, 1930 - February 24, 2017