Carl Visser

Carl Visser lived a life of service -- to his family, to his community, and always for the marginalized or forgotten who were in need. Carl was born on January 25, 1946, in Ogden, UT, to Cornelius and Anna Visser. He was the fourth of five children and a welcome addition to the family. He was greatly shaped by being a child of Dutch immigrants and embraced his heritage. He also developed a lasting appreciation for hard work seeing his mom and dad provide and send all five of their children to college on a very modest income. He worked with his dad growing up, helping him maintain and clean Ogden High School. When he was not busy in that endeavor, he had a basketball in his hand. His height gave him a great advantage on the court, but his practice and determination kept him playing through high school and during his freshman year at Weber State College. He had a happy childhood tagging along with his big brother, Ralph, playing with his best friend, Tommy, protecting his little sister, Adele, and riding horses in fields just beyond his house on land that eventually became the Weber State campus. Before he even hit college, during the summer of 1964, Anna Lee Jones set her sights on Carl and was not going to let him get away. They married on September 10, 1965. Less than three months after the wedding, they were expecting, and their oldest daughter, Kristen, was born in 1966. Kim followed in 1970, and Casey in 1976. His greatest joy and greatest worries came from being a dad, and he was an excellent provider, caregiver, comedian, and friend to his kids. Carl completed a degree in sociology in 1969 and began his career at Community Action Programs (CAP) in Ogden as a youth counselor and worked his way up to Deputy Director before leaving for greener pastures. In 1976, he was offered the Executive Director position at HRDC in Billings at the ripe old age of thirty, and he took it. He continued to head this growing social service agency until his retirement in 2011. During his years of service, he was instrumental in providing services to the underprivileged throughout the region and state. He tirelessly worked to represent individuals and groups whose basic needs were not met and create programs that would eradicate poverty. Carl developed a second career at this time, that of a caregiver to his wife, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1983. Her disease was progressive in nature, and Anna gradually lost many physical abilities. As her health declined, Carl lovingly coordinated a crew of caregivers while he was working and took care of her when his day job was over. His life-long commitment to her well-being was extraordinary and an astounding example of compassion. Her need for care prompted Carl to create one of the largest home health care agencies in Montana, and he continued to serve on its board throughout his life. Even through Carl's challenges, he loved building close relationships with each of his seven grandchildren. He attended innumerable sporting events, concerts, and plays over the years, but his favorite place to interact with them was in nature. He relished days fishing at Wild Bill Lake, driving through Yellowstone Park, or just basking in the beauty on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene. He fondly recalled going to Fish Lake with his family when he was growing up and wanted to recreate that magic for his grandchildren. Carl, we hope you are resting under endless blue skies with a mountain view that never ends. Thank you for being you and shaping us all into better versions of ourselves. He is survived by his sister, Adele (Milt) Flinders of West Point, UT; children, Kristen (Bob) Christnacht of West Linn, OR and Kim (Tom) Webber and Casey (Bridett) Visser both of Billings, MT; grandchildren, Melissa (Tyler) Weber, Hannah (Will) Christnacht, and Grant Christnacht, Carter and Emma Webber, Rosalyn and Hayden Visser; mother-in-law, Bonnie Sue Jones of Bellevue, WA; brother-in-law, Ray (Gloria) Ward, of North Ogden, UT; sister-in-law, Sheila Visser of West Point, UT; sister-in-law, Lynda (Phil) DeShazo of Napa, CA; and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his wife, Anna Visser; parents, Cornelius and Anna Visser; brothers, Neil and Ralph; sister, Shirley Ward; and sister-in-law, Diane Visser. The family extends a heartfelt thank you to all of Carl's devoted caregivers at West Park Village and St. Vincent Hospital. Your kindness and compassion was a lifeline for all of us and will never be forgotten. A memorial service will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Sweetgrass Creek Building at 2620 54th Street West. A luncheon will take place immediately following the service, and all friends and family are invited. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your choice of charity.