Jeffrey Branton Carlson

Jeffrey Branton Carlson, age 64, of Rochester, Minnesota passed away unexpectedly on November 11th, 2021 in his home. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2019, but was currently in remission. Jeff was born on April 11th, 1957 in Evanston, Illinois to John "Jack" and Carol (Hansen) Carlson. He was the second of four children. He graduated from Mayo High School in Rochester, MN in 1975. He was blessed with many talents and a hard work ethic that allowed him to advance from the production line at IBM to a CAD designer and in 1996 he secured a position as a Senior Mechanical Designer and contributed to several patents throughout his career. He later retired from Seagate Technology in 2018. He planned to marry his first love, Tara Savage, in 1979 but they went in different directions. He then married his former spouse, Michelle Dukart on March 31st, 1984 and was blessed with three children, Lindsey, Bryan, and Steven, whom he was always so proud of. He was reunited with Tara in 2006 to continue their love story. He proposed on the same day for the second, and final time, and they were married on April 13, 2018. They enjoyed many years together building memories full of so much love, laughter, and adventure along with their families. They recently purchased a home in Arizona and were looking forward to spending the rest of their lives together enjoying retirement. Jeff played so many roles as a loving son, brother, friend, husband, father, and step-father. He was full of life and often spent time on the golf course, in the bowling-alley, and watching NASCAR races. He was a light-hearted, outgoing man with such a big heart that would light up any room. He would not hesitate to go out of his way to do things for others and make them smile and laugh. His special talents included the ability to fix just about anything from cars, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, and even some broken hearts. His absolute favorite place to be was at the marina with his beloved boat working on his golden tan. The Mississippi became his second home, and many life-long friendships were made at the marina and Federal island, where the "Bottom-knocker" crew was formed. He is survived by his wife, Tara Carlson of Rochester, MN; three children, Lindsey, Bryan (Natalie) Stone, and Steven; step children, Nicholas (Valerie) Meilander, Christina (Scott) Lambert, Alexandra Meilander, and Franklin Meilander; step grandchildren; mother, Carol Carlson; brothers, John (Ting), Joel (Teresa), and Clifford (Suzanne); nieces and nephews and extended family and friends. He is preceded in death by his father, Jack. A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, November 19, 2021 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes, 5421 Royal Place NW, Rochester, MN. Visitation will be held 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm followed by a service at 6:00pm, with a reception to follow at Ranfranz and Vine Reception Centre. The service will be livestreamed on Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes Facebook page. Click the following link to watch the livestream of the service; the video will go live and become available a few minutes before the service begins: https://www.facebook.com/Ranfranzandvine/ Memorials may be given to Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. (https://themmrf.org/get-involved/ways-to-donate/) Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Carlson family; to share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com