Carlson retires after 46 years

WAUSA — A long-time Wausa business has changed hands, but remains in the same family.

Dave Carlson has decided to semi-retire from Carlson Home & Auto, where he has been working at in his hometown since 1975.

“It’s time to spend a little more with my wife, children and grandchildren,” Carlson said. “Also, we may want to do a little traveling around the country.”

The 68-year-old’s last full-time day on the job at the store was June 30. His nephew, Brian Wakeley, has taken over Carlson Home & Auto.

Carlson plans to help Wakeley at the business whenever he is needed, two to three days a week.

“At this point, I am not sure how long I plan to continue to work part-time,” Carlson said. “I plan to help with bidding projects and office work. At this time, I’m still adjusting to not working six days a week, but I’m sure it will be great.”

Carlson Home & Auto was originally started as a Firestone tire store by his father, Stanley, and paternal grandfather, Bill, in 1946.

“My father and grandfather started the business because they thought a tire store was needed in Wausa,” Carlson said.

The store started selling propane gas in 1948, and began getting more into heating, ventilation and air conditioning work in 1975.

“We still sell tires, propane, HVAC, and lawn and garden equipment,” Carlson said.

The year 1975 was also when he graduated from Kearney State College with a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts education.

Carlson thought about becoming an industrial arts teacher, but he never pursued that career path.

His family’s business has been the only place he has ever worked since he finished his time in college.

“During my junior year at Kearney State, my father came to me and asked if I would consider coming back to the store to help him out, just for a couple of years, until he could get a new serviceman trained because his other one had quit,” Carlson said.

“I thought that would be fine, that I could wait a few years before I went into teaching,” he said. “I tell people that this is just a temporary job. I haven’t got to my ‘true calling’ in life yet.”

He has performed about every job a person can do at Carlson Home & Auto, including fixing tires, digging trenches, hauling propane, and installing and servicing HVAC equipment.

Carlson has owned and operated the business since 2006, when his father died.

“This has been a family business and that was always my goal, to try and keep it that way,” Carlson said.

Carlson Home & Auto will continue to stay in the family now that the 45-year-old Wakeley has taken it over.

Wakeley, who lives in Wausa with his wife, Tiffanie, and their four children, has worked at the business since he graduated from Mitchell Technical Institute in South Dakota about 25 years ago.

“He is like me – he has done virtually everything at some time that we do at the store,” Carlson said. “Brian plans to continue to keep everything the same at the store, in the tradition of the way his grandfather and great-grandfather started this business. Nothing will really change; all the employees will remain the same.”

As he pulls back from working full time, Carlson remains busy with other activities in Wausa, where he has lived most of his life, and he never plans to leave the Knox County community.

Carlson has belonged to the Wausa Commercial Club and has served on the Thabor Lutheran Church Council several times. He also has been a member of the Wausa Volunteer Fire & Res

He also has been a member of the Wausa Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department for 37 years and has been an emergency medical technician for 30 years.

In another connection to Wakeley, Carlson served as the Wausa fire chief for 21 years before Wakeley took over the position in 2019.

“I have tried to be involved in the community over the years,” Carlson said.

Carlson is looking forward to spending more time with his family, especially Pamela, his wife of 47 years, who is also a Wausa native.

They have three adult children – who are each married and live in Chadron, Lincoln and Dodge City, Kan., respectively – as well as three grandchildren.

In addition to spending more time with his family, Carlson plans to put in more time on projects in his woodworking shop, an interest he has had since he was a child.

Even though he was ready to be semi-retired, he will miss working full-time at Carlson Home & Auto.

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