Obituary of Nancy S. Carlson

Nancy S. Carlson, 83, of 11 Chadwick St. Jamestown passed away at 4:26 a.m. Sunday, September 21, 2014, in Memory Garden. A lifelong area resident, she was born April 26, 1931 in Jamestown, NY a daughter of the late Richard L. and Margaret F. Karlsson Sward. She was a 1949 graduate of Jamestown High School and earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1953, where she also took many graduate courses over the years. Nancy began her teaching career for the Jamestown Public School System in 1953, working at the former Fairmount Ave. School, as a second grade teacher until 1959. She then took a long-term day to day substituting position at Buffalo State Teachers College Campus School until 1961, when she returned to the Jamestown Public Schools. During her time with Jamestown she was a home teacher for the elementary, junior high and high school grades and was instrumental in the screening and testing of the kindergarten students. Following her retirement from teaching in 1983, she became involved with the Chautauqua Striders, Inc. where she was the Education Coordinator/Deputy Director. She developed and supervised the tutoring program for fourth through twelfth graders. During her final years over 300 students were tutored. In earlier years she served as the Educational Assistant for the First Congregational Church, where she organized, instructed and supervised the Sunday school teachers. She was a member of the Kappa Delta Pi, National Education Honor Society, the Chautauqua Striders Board of Directors and the School-Community Relations Committee, a member of the Community Development Committee for Chautauqua Community Foundation, the Y.M.C.A., the Jamestown Planning Commission, New Horizons Community Housing Resource Board. She was a representative to the Jamestown Ecumenical Ministries, past president of the Jamestown Opti-Mrs. Club, a high school youth advisor for First Congregational Church, Chairperson of the Youth Committee at the Y.W.C.A. and a member of the Y.W.C.A Board of Directors. She also attended several drug education workshops, worked on several political campaigns and hosted the Jamestown inter-racial home visitations. She loved to spend time reading, exercising and traveling, having been to 14 countries and most of the United States. Surviving are her husband, John Y. Carlson, whom she married June 20, 1953, a son, John S. Carlson of Wexford, PA, a daughter, Susan Carlson Scott of West Seneca, NY, and two grandsons, J. Christopher Carlson and Stephen P. Carlson both of Jamestown Besides her parents she was preceded in death by a brother, Richard H. Sward who died October 12, 2010. A private service will be held at the convenience of the family. Inurnment will be in Sunset Hill Cemetery. Friends will be received from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday in the Lind Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association of Western New York, 2805 Wehrle Dr. Suite 6, Williamsville, NY 14221, the Chautauqua County Humane Society, 2825 Strunk Rd. Jamestown, NY 14701 or to a charity of one's choice.