White Funeral Home
400 First Street West
Independence, Iowa 50644

Independence – Pamela S. Carlson, 72 years old, of Independence, Iowa, passed away on Friday, September 18, 2020, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa.  She was born on March 4, 1948, the daughter of James William and Iola Mae (Bergeson) Wilkinson.  Pamela graduated from high school in Independence with the Class of 1966.  On June 14, 1969, she and Stuart Reed Carlson were married in Janesville, Wisconsin.  He preceded her in death in 2017.  In her free time, Mrs. Carlson enjoyed gardening, gaming, quilting, and patronizing the area casinos.

Pamela was a loyal supporter of QVC.  It’s estimated that she made her first purchase circa 1987 and continued her enthusiastic support of the television shopping channel until her untimely death.  Pam’s love of QVC was so rampant in the early 1990s, her late husband, Stu, once offered to buy her a Mercedes in exchange for shopping on QVC.  Everyone who knew Pam, knows she drove a Mercedes for many years in addition continued her shopping on QVC. In fact, she has received a few new packages since her passing.  As we write this obituary, her children are scrambling to figure out how to cancel her auto-shipment of moisturizer.

Pam and Stu spent many years together living in various places. While they spent most of their lives together in Wisconsin, they also lived in Illinois, Mississippi, Connecticut, and Georgia.  After Stu retired in 2010, they would spend a few months a year in their beloved, Biloxi, MS, where they enjoyed playing slot machines, conversations over cocktails, and infinite opportunities to meet new people. After Stu passed in 2017, Pam ultimately decided to move back to her hometown of Independence in 2019 to reconnect with family and old friends.

Mrs. Carlson was quick-witted, clever, competitive, and matter-of-fact.  She was a good person, a caring daughter, devoted wife, loving mother, loyal sister, fun aunt, cool grandmother, and faithful friend. Pamela struggled with making big decisions.  She was described as a professional procrastinator, often just letting things happen and uttering her favorite phrase: “It is what it is.”

Pamela Carlson is survived by 2 daughters, Carla Carlson of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Paula (David Kovach) Carlson of Wausau, Wisconsin, 1 son, James (Jessica) Carlson of Mandeville, Louisiana, and 3 grandchildren, Kayla Kovach, Mikael Kovach, and Jack Kovach.  She is also survived by her step mother, Dorothy Wilkinson of Independence, 4 brothers, Steven (Diane) Boody of Indianapolis, Indiana, Tracy (Joan) Lohman of Ham Lake, Minnesota, Jerry Lohman of Petal,  Mississippi, and Ray (Robin) Wilkinson of Independence, 8 sisters, Judith (Bill) Rozeboom of Loganville, Georgia, Marilyn (Jim) Bellendier of Lakeland, Florida, Patricia (Steve) Scott of Fairbank, Iowa, Linda (Bruce Neeley) Kress and Wanda Duggan, both of Independence, Amy (Carl) Mundth of Grundy Center, and Sheila (John) Chapman of Manchester, Iowa.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and 1 brother, James Wilkinson.

A celebration of Pamela’s life will take place at a later date.  White Funeral Home of Independence is in charge of arrangements. On line condolences may be left at www.White-MtHope.com.

To close, we will leave you with Pam’s favorite salutation, “Later!”