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Obituary: Rita Myles Carlson
Author: Steve Carlson
Rita Myles Carlson
Steve Carlson
It is with the utmost heartache that I inform her friends and extended family of the passing of Rita Carlson. She died September 21, 2025 of respiratory failure caused by a pneumonia she developed during recovery from knee replacement surgery.
Rita Devon (Myles) Carlson was born August 29, 1953, in Townsend, MT, to Robert Myles and Jean (Madison) Myles, joining an older sister (Fonda) and Richard (Rick) Rader and Gaylene Rader (from Jean’s earlier marriage) and later being joined by another sister, Linda. She grew up in Townsend and graduated from high school there. She went on to pursue accounting at Northwest College in Powell, WY.
An early marriage brought her two children, Melissa McElravy and Neil McElravy. After divorcing, she raised her children as a single parent with no assistance from the father. Rita moved to the Lewiston (ID)-Clarkston (WA) valley in the mid-1970s, following her mother and siblings. A second marriage ended with her husband’s accidental death.
Rita was a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was totally committed to Christ and to the church for the remainder of her life. She served many callings within the church, mostly involving children and young adults, and seldom missed an opportunity to attend a session at a Temple if one was nearby in her travels.
Her career path in Lewiston took her from waitressing to bartending to office manager at a local insurance agency, until she found employment with Potlatch Corp. (Clearwater Paper). She worked in several departments within the mill in both the paper and tissue sides. It was here that she met her future husband, Stephen (Steve) Carlson, and together they continued raising Melissa and Neil.
She was a strong advocate for the paper industry and was an early member of Comnet (a group of volunteers from all parts of the corporation). This group had the opportunity to visit schools, fairs, and other community events to promote the viability and renewability of forest products. She was also a member of Women in Timber and participated with the Clearwater Resource Coalition.
Her commitment and dedication to this effort led her to become a liaison for Potlatch to help educate and advocate the public on our renewable resources. In this role, she travelled extensively across the US, giving presentations and papermaking demonstrations to school-age children and discussions with civic organizations.
She firmly believed God gave us our resources to use wisely and not to waste. Also, to restore the land to the best of our ability after harvesting.
Rita’s efforts in reaching out to share information led her to being invited to join the Alliance for America, a national advocacy and lobbying organization focused on conservative values, and she was immediately installed as their Vice-president of Natural Resources. During the Alliance’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., Rita spent many hours promoting the resource industries with various members of Congress. She was extremely honored for the support provided by Potlatch for allowing her these opportunities.
Rita received several accolades and awards during her tenure as Potlatch’s liaison and VP for the Alliance. Her favorite was being awarded the Activist of the Year award from the American Pulpwood Association (a national industry organization). In the book ”It Takes a Hero”, written by William Perry Pendley (a Colorado Constitutional attorney), a chapter is dedicated to detailing her involvement and accomplishments.
Also, during that time period, she was the subject of a feature article in the Lewiston (ID) Tribune discussing her role in the resource conversation.
During her life, Rita had multiple health issues. She was a three-time cancer survivor and had Sciatic nerve damage, but it was osteoarthritis in her back that forced her into early retirement. After her retirement, she and Steve built a house outside of Troy, Idaho and lived there until they bought a house in Deltona, FL. The climate in Florida was extremely beneficial for her arthritis as opposed to the cold in Idaho.
Rita loved to travel and also enjoyed crafts in her retirement, from card making to scrapbooking to genealogy. But her favorite pastime was sewing, primarily machine embroidery and quilting, which she shared extensively with family and friends. She was also a big-time NASCAR fan and attended many of the races at the Daytona Speedway, including the Daytona 500 multiple times. She was a Lifetime Member of the American Legion Auxiliary.
Preceding her in death were her parents, her brother Richard (Rick) Rader and two brothers-in-law, Robert (Bob) Curtis and Donald Olson. She is survived by her husband Stephen (Deltona, FL), daughter Melissa (McElravy) Cranfield (Titusville, FL), grandson Zach Smith (Vancouver, WA), son Neil McElravy (Deming, WA), granddaughter Avalon McElravy and twin grandsons Oliver and River McElravy (all in Bellingham, WA), sisters Fonda (Myles) Hibbard (Mirana, AZ) and Linda (Myles) Olson (Tucson, AZ),and sister Gaylene (Rader) Curtis (Townsend MT).
Rita will be remembered best for her service to others. Besides her commitment to the church and to her resource activities, she was also a part-time office volunteer for the Nez Perce County Fair (in years past), leadership in her local TOPS (a weight loss support) chapter and numerous other endeavors as her health allowed.
Above all, Rita Devon Carlson was a good person. She touched the lives of many people in her 72 years, and the world is a better place for having her in it. May she rest in peace.
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