William "Bill" B. Carlson

William (Bill) B. Carlson, 84, passed away on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at Cardinal Woods in Madison, Ohio. He was born August 4, 1939, to the late Sheldon and Hazel (Codding) in Conneaut, Ohio. On September 2, 1961, Bill married Vonna Thompson, with whom he shared his life for nearly 60 years.  

As a child, Bill developed a love for farming, as he helped his parents raise chickens and care for the land at their farm in Monroe Township.  It was on the farm where Bill’s devotion to the sport of baseball emerged, and many an afternoon would find Bill out in the fields hitting rocks with sticks.  After graduating from Rowe High School in 1958, Bill worked for several local companies, including Rockwell Industries and General Aluminum, from which he retired. Bill and Vonna also had their family-owned store, Conneaut Hardware, in downtown Conneaut.

Back in their courtship days, Bill and Vonna bonded over a love of square dancing. When they married, they moved to a farm in Monroe Township, where they raised cows and chinchillas. They had two sons, Steve and Burt, both of whom were a tremendous source of pride, as were their grandsons, Spencer and Aaron.  To Bill’s great delight, all Carlson boys were bitten by the baseball bug, and displayed the inherent talent for the sport.  More importantly, Bill abounded with pride when his sons and grandsons graduated from college.  

Throughout his life and well into retirement, Bill continued to play baseball and softball, and was known to be one of the best shortstops in all of Ashtabula County. He played for many teams including Moses, Sportsman, and many others.   In his later years, Bill traveled with a senior team, the Virginia Cavaliers, which afforded Bill and Vonna the opportunity to visit Utah and Las Vegas with the team.  Especially exciting was the visit to the shop run by Pawn Stars, where Bill purchased a beautiful ring for Vonna. 

Whenever they could, Bill and Vonna enjoyed various travel experiences, most notably trips to Hawaii and to Nova Scotia on a family cruise.   Even in their daily lives, though, Bill and Vonna lived their adventures together, and they were virtually inseparable, enjoying family time, eating out in local restaurants and diners, or sitting at home reading their many books. More than anything, though, they were inseparable in their hearts. 

Bill is survived by son Steve Carlson of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; grandsons Spencer (Cassandra Kosovec) Carlson of Green, Ohio, and Aaron (Olivia) Carlson of Kingsville, Ohio; great-grandsons Rowan Kosovec, Milo Carlson, and Warner Carlson; daughter-in-law Debbie Carlson of Conneaut, Ohio; brothers Robert (Nancy) Carlson of Andover, Ohio, and Dick Carlson of Conneaut, Ohio; sisters-in-law Linda Thompson of North Kingsville, Ohio, Judy Thompson of Dunstable, MA, and Mary Lee Coxen of Rock Hill, SC. Bill also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. 

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Vonna (Thompson) Carlson, and son Burt Carlson; sister and brother-in-law, Sarah and Jim Frost; sister-in law Shirley Carlson; sister and brother-in law Shirley and Chuck Reinke; brother and sister-in-law, Dean and Marion Thompson; and brothers-in-law Leslie Thompson and Ronnie Thompson.

Funeral service will be 12:00 Noon, Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at the Marcy Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 208 Liberty St., Conneaut. Burial will follow in Kelloggsville Cemetery, Monroe Township, OH.

Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 PM, Monday, May 6, 2024 at the funeral home.

Throughout his life, Bill had an enduring love of animals and left behind two well-loved cats, Fluffy and Tank, and his grand-dog Lucy, in the care of his son Steve Carlson in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Golden Retrievers in Need Rescue Service, Inc in Cleveland, Ohio, and Maddox & Friends Cat Rescue in Conneaut, Ohio or CLYO. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.

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