Esther Carlson, age 85, of Mitchell, died Sunday April 24, 2005 at her home. Funeral services will be held 10:30 AM Thursday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 PM Wednesday at the Will Funeral Chapel with a scripture reading at 7:00 PM. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery. She was born on August 5, 1919, at Kimball, SD to Fred W. and Anna (Creamer) Runge. She attended Kimball schools through the eleventh grade. On April 29, 1936, she married Clarence Carlson in Kimball. They lived in Kimball until 1956 when they moved to Mitchell. She raised and sold small dogs for twenty years. Her family will remember her for her courage with her sixty year battle with arthritis, her good cooking, her wisdom, and her youthful spirit. Her passions in life were her family, dogs, gardening, reading and crossword puzzles. She is survived by a son, Gary D. and a daughter, Beverly J. Yates, both of Mitchell; two sisters, Josephine Pulse, Salem, SD and Joyce Briggs, Washington; one step-brother, Richard (Bucky) Korzan and wife, Mary of Kimball, SD; seven grandchildren, four great grandchildren, two step-great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a son, Frederick, her parents, a step-mother, her husband, four sisters, one in infancy, two brothers, one sister-in-law, four brothers-in-law, two nieces and one nephew.