Bruce H. Carlson

Bruce H. Carlson, 55, Fargo, ND, died on July 27, 2009, in his lake home on Little Pine Lake near Perham, MN.Bruce Hilding Carlson was born on September 26, 1953, in Fargo, ND, to Hilding and Grace Hillbrand Carlson. He grew up and attended school in Comstock and Barnesville, MN, graduating from Barnesville High School in 1971. He attended and graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead where he played four years of varsity baseball. He attended the University of North Dakota School of Law in Grand Forks, ND, where he graduated in 1978 at the top of his class and a member of the Order of the Coif. Bruce married Susan Dahl on July 31, 1976. After graduation from law school, they made their home in Fargo where Bruce became a partner of the McNair, Larson & Carlson, Ltd., specializing in litigation and commercial law. He practiced before the North Dakota and Minnesota Supreme Courts, the United States District Court and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. He was a member of the Minnesota and North Dakota Bar. He was recognized by his peers in the Fargo Moorhead area as the best commercial litigator in a poll conducted by the Fargo Forum. He had been listed for several years in the Chamber's USA listing of America's Leading Lawyers for Business and also in America's Leading Litigation Attorneys in the Institutional Investor. Bruce was a beloved, respected coach for both his son's Babe Ruth Baseball teams for many years. He loved golf, the lake, his church life, art, music especially; Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and opera. He sang in Master Chorale for 20 years. He prided himself on being a gourmet cook. Growing up on the farm and working with his father set the foundation for his life: hard working, compassionate and ethical.Bruce is survived by his wife, Susan, Fargo, ND; two sons, Christian and Erik, Fargo, ND; one daughter, Bethany, Fargo, ND; two brothers, Royal Carlson, Rochester, MN, and his children, Grace and Andrew; Phillip Lisa Carlson, Fargo, ND, and their children, Chuck, Tony and Bill. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister-in-law, Carole.