William "Willy" Edward Carlson

North Hampton - “Pop, I can help you write your obituary.” “No. All it needs to say is Willy lived. Then Willy died.” William (Willy) Edward Carlson lived. Then Willy died. In between, he had a one hell of a ride. One of a kind. Larger than life. An unforgettable character. At family gatherings, Willy would grumble, “This place is a ZOO; who are all these people? Is your mother running a soup kitchen?” We’d look around the room and respond, “All these people, are YOUR fault. YOU. Did. This.” These people. Willy became a father at the age of 19 with Marlene, his first wife and mother to David, Lori, Sharon (Kim), and Russell. After Marlene’s unexpected, early passing, he met his second wife, Janet. With Janet, (a fellow Leo; we have no idea how these two stubborn-ass individuals didn’t kill each other) came two more children, August (Gus) and Kristin. It ballooned from there: 6 grandchildren: Jessica; Shannon; Courtney; Fred IV; Jillian; and Sean; 9 great grandchildren: Reilly; Olivia; Raegan; Amelia; Tanner; Callie; Fred V; Ava; and Lennon; and 1 great great grandson, August, plus spouses; dogs; cats; fish; gerbils; hermit crabs and Freddy’s chickens. Willy worked at GE and IBM in NY and NJ for many years. He retired in 1984, got his ear pierced with a diamond stud from his former colleagues, donned cowboy boots, moved to NH, and he and Janet launched Seacoast Harley-Davidson, first in York, ME then relocated it to North Hampton, NH. They sold the successful business in 1990. He dearly loved his mom, Lydia and father, Einar; loved old cars and motorcycles; Dixieland music; licorice; peanut M & M’s; bacon; working with wood and tinkering. His expertise with fixing things and knowledge of how to keep this old (1835) North Hampton, NH “dump” of a house running will be sorely missed. He was the griping, ribbing older brother to his sister Sylvia and brother Clifford; Uncle Bill to Cynthia, Greg, Eric, Susie, and Sandy. The kids will always remember his Big Bad Wolf stories; long-winded jokes; ditties he’d sing; and great cartoons. He was extremely short on patience, and you never quite knew what he was going to say or do. While there were definitely cringe moments, somehow, he could get away with saying things not many others could. He was always fond of pulling gullible people’s legs until they realized they had been sucked in. Despite his gruffness and sarcastic, irreverent, often inappropriate humor, he’ll be predominately remembered for being loving; trusted; big-hearted; welcoming, and playful. He was a father figure to too many to possibly name. A consistent supporter; listener; nudger. While he often claimed Janet was trying to kill him with her spicy cooking, in the end his body simply wore out and he left here surrounded by the love and support of an amazing family who never left his side—a truly lucky, successful man. He said, “Don’t cry when I’m gone. I’ve had a great life.” “Yeah pop, you did. We might miss you just a little bit.” Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Willy for a period of visitation on Sunday, May 19, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home, 811 Lafayette Road, Hampton, NH 03842. In honor of his memory, please consider donating to Pumpkin Wall Farm, an animal sanctuary in Derry, NH by clicking here

William "Willy" Edward Carlson

August 22, 1931 - May 13, 2024