Ruth Carlson

Ruth Maxine (Johnson) Carlson

August 23, 1932 - June 9, 2026

With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Ruth Carlson of Baxter, MN. She was in excellent care at Good Samaritan and had many visitors including her children and their spouses, grandchildren, nieces, Rae Ann and Char and friends. She passed away peacefully the morning of June 9, 2026.

Ruth was born on August 23, 1932, in Hector, MN to Mable and Harry Johnson. She was the youngest of three children.

Ruth met her husband, Robert (Bob) Carlson, through mutual friends shortly after Bob returned from a teaching job in Germany. After a short three-month courtship, they married in November of 1956. They had three children, Scott, Todd and Ann.

While Ruth was a homemaker in the early years of their marriage, she enjoyed being busy. Once the kids were teenagers, Bob and Ruth bought the Edina Card and Gift Shop on 50th and France in Edina with a partner. She ran that for three or four years then after their partner bought them out, she managed the gift shop at Fairview Southdale Hospital and at Fairview St. Marys hospital in Cedar/Riverside. She met many friends and enjoyed her time running the gift shops.

Bob and Ruth loved to travel. Once Bob retired, they went on an epic trip with Jonnie and Richard traveling across the US in their RV. In addition, they traveled to New Zealand, Australia, Sweden and several places in Europe. They usually ran into someone they knew in the faraway places and loved telling the stories about these connections. They also loved Florida and spent many winters at various locations to get out of the cold and snow.

Ruth loved life as was evident in her bubbly personality. She loved her family and friends and enjoyed life to its fullest. She was actively engaged with her church and her many friendships in the community enjoying social outings, community groups, and meals with friends. She was an active member of a chamber music vocal group, the Mission Township fund-raising committee, and Red Hats. At the time of her passing, she was living completely independently and was still driving herself to her many activities.

While Ruth told everyone she hated cooking, she had many memorable recipes that aligned with her heritage. Swedish Pancakes were a staple in the Carlson household on Saturday mornings. In addition, we joke about the “white meal” every Christmas Eve which consisted of an appetizer of pickled herring, with Lutefisk, Lefsa, Swedish Sausage, potatoes and the occasional green veggie.

Ruth was the last of her generation, preceded in death by her loving husband, Bob, and her dear siblings, Lorraine (Richard) and James (Pearl), Sisters-in-law Marlys (Hank) and Geraldine (Joe) and great granddaughter Violet. She is survived by her three children, Scott (Deb), Todd (Nancy) and Ann (Mike); grandchildren Jacob, Tiana, Adam, Julia (Jeremy) and Alayna (Lucas); great grandson Henry; many nieces and nephews; and her “children” who considered her their second Mom.

A celebration of Ruth’s life will be held on August 14, 2026 at 11:00am at Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church in Brainerd, MN.