January 21, 1928 ~ February 06, 2018
Eugene Carson, 90, peacefully passed away Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018.
Carson owned and operated numerous farms in southwest Oklahoma for more than 70 years. He was known as a skilled carpenter and homebuilder.
Eugene E Carson was born on Jan. 21, 1928, in Chattanooga, Oklahoma, to Lola Haile Carson and Carl Carson. He was the youngest of nine siblings.
He grew up on farms in the Lawton and Chattanooga area, where he learned early in life that he loved working with his hands. He graduated from Lawton High School and worked his parent's farmland as a young man.
Carson met Colleen Elnore Peterson at Central Baptist Church. The couple courted for a year, and married on May 6, 1948. They lived in the Lawton area, where they began a family. The Carsons had three children: son, Dion (1951), and daughters, Janet (1954) and Jeanne (1960).
The family moved to Kansas in 1956 so Carson could work for Boeing Aircraft. While in Kansas, the couple built their first home together. The family returned to southwest Oklahoma in 1958, and Carson became one of the premiere homebuilders in Lawton during the 1960s. He focused on home construction before turning his skills to remodeling homes.
Throughout his life, Carson's primary occupation was agriculture. He owned and leased farms throughout the region, growing wheat, running beef cattle and owning an assortment of barnyard animals. In the late 1970s, he bred racehorses.
Carson was a skilled welder and machinist. He often invented or built equipment that he needed on the farm, including hay spikes and trailers. While he spent most of his days working on the farm, but his favorite hobby was fishing.
Carson is survived by his son, Dion Carson and his wife, Paula; his daughters, Janet Calaway and husband, Jim, and Jeanne Harrington and her husband, Michael; brother, Carly; grandsons, Adam Calaway, Danny Carson, Luke Nix, Jacob Nix and Ryan Carson; granddaughter Jennifer Keller; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife.
A private graveside memorial service was held on Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Carson's name to a charity of choice.