Penny Lee Carlson, previously Pounds, age 84, passed peacefully on October 28, 2026 in Pueblo, Colorado.
Born June 14, 1942 in Pueblo, Colorado, Penny was the oldest of 4 children born to Kenneth Albert Pounds (1913-2002) and Maggie Belle Pounds (1914-1969). Penny spent her first 13 years in Pueblo with her family before they purchased the Pounds family farm in Colorado City. She completed her remaining years of schooling in Rye, where she finished top of her class. She married Edward Lee Carlson on June 5th, 1959 and had 4 children – Kennette, Rodney, Tammy, and Dawnia. Together they worked hard on their own family farm near Cedarwood. Penny also did bookkeeping and worked at the Rye Credit Union.
She was a talented painter, beautiful singer, and could tackle any creative project from refinishing furniture, to installing floor tile, to rebuilding an engine. She loved spending time with friends, including her best friend, Jody Griffin. Together they served the community as two of the founding members of the Faith Circle out of the Methodist Church in Rye. She was an avid reader and fan of all kinds of puzzles. Penny also loved to traveling and visited over 15 countries with her family and friends.
A lifelong resident of the Pueblo/Rye area, she is survived by her siblings Claudia Houghton, Donna Dodge, and Mike Pounds (JoAnne); her children Kennette Oldham, Tammy Toxvard (Lu), Dawnia Dresser (Douglas), and Rodney Carlson (Angela); her 11 grandchildren – Daniel Carlson, Rayanne Hunter, Meridith Hawk (Shawn), Dayna Woolford, James Weese, Justine Toxvard, Jason Oldham (Lisa), Nathan Weese, Lena Romeo, Miles Dresser, & Declan Dresser; and 18 great grandchildren.
Please join us for a Celebration of Life at Rye Home United Methodist Church and fellowship hall at 1pm on Saturday, November 7th.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Aspen Acres Fire Charity through Brush Canyon Ranch – venmo @brushcanyonranch or The Alzheimer’s Foundation www.alz.org.
