Leigh Richard Carlson

Leigh Richard Carlson, 67, of North Attleboro, MA, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, MA.  He was the beloved husband of Laurel J. (Jenney) Carlson, to whom he was married on August 18, 1984.
Born on January 1, 1952 in Milford, MA, he was the son of the late Donald R. Carlson and the late Edythe (Scammon) Carlson.
A lifelong resident of North Attleboro, where he made his home on Bungay Lake, Leigh  was a graduate of North Attleboro High School and received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Throughout his life, he worked as both a Writer and as an Editor at the Attleboro Sun Chronicle and for twenty years as an Editor at the Brockton Enterprise, before retiring in 2008. Leigh believed in the power of truth and the truth found in good journalism.
No one loved a good story better than Leigh. His experiences sailing and fishing on his beloved Bungay Lake, as well as his frustration with golf, gave Leigh plenty of fodder for his story telling. Even in retirement he read three or four newspapers a day in the company of his rescue cat, Merlin. He enjoyed playing and listening to music, especially classic rock; spending time on his "big" sailboat in Fairhaven, MA; water and snow skiing; feeding the squirrels and birds; video games; golfing with his old friends, and spending time with his friends; playing chess and cards in the winter; and simply puttering around the house and being in the company of Laurel.
Leigh is survived by his loving and tolerant wife, Laurel. He leaves his sister: Donna M. Zilch and her husband, Robert "Bob" H. Zilch, of North Attleboro, MA; his brothers: Dean R. Carlson of Marblehead, MA, and Kirk A. Carlson and his wife, Helen Carlson, of Westborough, MA; and his step-sister, Maureen A. Colson of St. Paul, MN. Leigh leaves two nephews, five nieces, his extended family, and numerous dear friends.
Friends and relatives are cordially invited to honor and remember Leigh by gathering for a Memorial Visitation on Saturday, March 2, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon in the Memorial Chapel of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro, MA, immediately followed by a Celebration of Life and Remembrance Service at 12:00 Noon at Dyer-Lake Funeral Home. Please bring your stories of Leigh.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Leigh to either the MSPCA, 350 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, or to the North Attleboro Animal Shelter, Cedar Road, North Attleboro, MA 02760.
For additional information or to send the family a written expression of sympathy, please visit an online guest book at www.dyer-lakefuneralhome.com .
Arrangements are under the direction of the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro.  (508) 695-0200