Gordon Ness Carlson

Gordon Ness Carlson passed away on November 8, 2021, at the age of 92. Born in  Wakefield, MI on February 22,1929, he was the younger of two sons born to Gladyce  and Edwin Carlson. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Ione Ardyth  Carlson (Eckman) who passed away on April 23, 2020, his parents, his brother, John  (Jack) Carlson, and his first wife, Mayme, Debbie’s mother. He leaves behind six  children: Debbie Carlson of San Francisco, CA, Craig (Elisa) of Minneapolis, Thomas  (Brennan Baas) of Minneapolis, Lynette (Joe Argir and children Sean, Benjamin,  Jeremy, and Samantha) of Chisholm, MN, Robert (Kim and their daughter Evey) of  Richfield, MN, and Kerri Carlson (Wesley Haynes and their son Edwin-Ray) of  Burnsville, MN.  Gordon graduated from Bessemer High School in 1946, and after graduating from  Michigan Tech in 1950, he went on to follow in the footsteps of his father and  grandfather when he began his career in the iron ore industry as a laborer working  underground in the Pickands Mather-managed Peterson Mine on the Gogebic Range in  Michigan. In 1950, Gordy was moved to the Cuyuna Iron Range in Minnesota to be the  pit operations assistant at the Mahnomen Mine. He was then transferred to Hibbing,  MN in 1956 to work in the district office for Pickands Mather (PM) as district mechanical engineer responsible for maintenance at 12 mines located on the Mesaba and Cuyuna Ranges. It was while he was working at the PM office in Hibbing that he met, fell in love with, and married Ione. In 1959 Gordon was put in charge of operations for all of PM’s beneficiating plants (exclusive of taconite), and then in 1962, Gordy was transferred to Montreal, Quebec , where he worked on the design, construction, and manning of the Wabush Mine pilot plant in Labrador, Canada. Two years later Gordy and his young family moved to the community of Sept-Iles, QE where the pelletizing and shipping facility for the Wabush Mine was being built. This was where he and his family would remain until their move back to Hibbing in 1974. Hibbing Taconite was to be  constructed and Gordy had been selected to be the Assistant General Manager of the  new mine. It was during the Hibbing years that the youngest daughter, Kerri, would be  born. In 1981, Gordy was chosen to join PM’s Cleveland, Ohio headquarters as  manager of iron ore mines. He continued to advance in his career to become general  manager of ore mines, and later, after 42 years in the industry and now a part of  Cleveland Cliffs Inc after their acquisition of PM, he retired as vice president-ore  operations in 1993. Both Gordy and Ione lived their retirement to its fullest. For many years they enjoyed hosting their children and families at Breezy Point Resort near Brainerd, at Fort Meyers Beach in Florida, and at their home in Westlake, OH. Gordy honed his pool skills by (usually) soundly beating his son, Craig, while Ione watched and cheered for Gordy on the side. He was also a master craftsman, designing and building beautiful pieces of furniture, (often with the assistance of his sons) to be given to, and truly appreciated by, his family. Gordy was deeply dedicated to his family and created as many opportunities as possible for them to be together. On a very special note, during their last years while they lived in assisted living in  Burnsville, MN, both Gordy and Ione were so very fortunate to have a dedicated, skilled,  and loving caretaker who stayed with them and helped them to live the most active,  safe, and fulfilling lives that God meant them to have. Juah’s care, dedication, and self-  sacrifice to both of them was without compare. We, the children, will be forever  indebted to her for the grace, dignity, and love she gave to our Mom and Dad.  Due to Covid 19, there was no service for Ione. As such, there will be a memorial  service to honor both Gordon and Ione on Saturday, 11/20/21, at First Lutheran Church  in Hibbing, MN. Visitation will begin at 11am, followed by the service at 1pm and  committal at the Hibbing cemetery. In lieu of gifts, donations can be made to debra.org  or ebresearch.org, 2 organizations involved in the research for a cure and  improvements in the treatments of Epidermolysis Bullosa, a genetic disease affecting  the life of one of their grandchildren. The children of Gordon and Ione welcome any, and all, to join them as they celebrate the lives of their parents. For 62 years they lived, loved, and laughed together, and now, they will be reunited forever.  Arrangements are with the Dougherty Funeral Home of Hibbing.  To leave an online message of condolence, please visit us at; www.doughertyofhibbing.com.