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Ernest G. Carlsen (“Ernie”) died peacefully at his home on March 25, 2019…one month shy of his 98th birthday…surrounded by family and friends. Ernie was a lawyer, businessman, community leader, friend, and family man – a good-hearted, gentle man who lived his life to the fullest.
He was born on a ranch near Hoover, South Dakota, in the middle of a spring blizzard on April 25, 1921, the youngest of nine children born to Danish immigrants, Chris and Cecelia Carlsen. Because he was two months premature, his parents placed him in a boot box near the woodstove to...
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Ernest G. Carlsen (“Ernie”) died peacefully at his home on March 25, 2019…one month shy of his 98th birthday…surrounded by family and friends. Ernie was a lawyer, businessman, community leader, friend, and family man – a good-hearted, gentle man who lived his life to the fullest.
He was born on a ranch near Hoover, South Dakota, in the middle of a spring blizzard on April 25, 1921, the youngest of nine children born to Danish immigrants, Chris and Cecelia Carlsen. Because he was two months premature, his parents placed him in a boot box near the woodstove to help him stay warm enough to survive his first cold spring.
From this inauspicious beginning, Ernie grew to adulthood on what is now the sprawling Carlsen Ranch near Castle Rock, South Dakota operated by his nephew. Summers found him reading in isolated sheep wagons when he was not tending to the sheep herds, and winters found him studying in one-room school houses on the prairie. After completing the eighth grade at age fourteen, he and his older brother moved twenty miles south to Newell, where they lived in a trailer house until Ernie graduated from high school in 1939.
His first two years of college were spent at Black Hill State College, where he took general courses and learned to fly aerobatics from the famous South Dakota aviator, Clyde Ice, as part of the Army Air Corps Cadet Training Program initiated by President Franklin Roosevelt. Due to his skills as a pilot and love of flying, he enlisted as a pilot in the Army Air Corp during World War II.
He married Bonnie Brammer of Vermillion, South Dakota, in 1944. They had a special, loving marriage as they worked together in their business, raised three children, Nancy, Cindy, and Chris, and traveled the world. There were not very many days when they were apart in their 58 years of marriage until Bonnie’s passing in 2002.
Ernie graduated from the University of South Dakota Business School in 1945 with a BA/BS in business administration and economics. He received his Juris Doctorate from the USD Law School in 1948, and he was a member of the South Dakota Bar until his retirement in 2013.
Upon graduation from law school, Ernie moved to the State of Washington and began working in the title business during the post-war boom years in Seattle. He was a quick study and went on to manage title companies in the Tri-Cities of Yakima, Pasco and Kennewick, Washington.
In the early 1950’s, as Vice President for the Title Insurance Company of Idaho, he brought title insurance to South Dakota. Title insurance was a new product in South Dakota and was a replacement for the old abstracting system which was in use at that time. Abstracts, and the associated opinions of lawyers, provided limited protection for sellers and buyers of real property, while title insurance was a policy which gave nearly unlimited protection to sellers and buyers. There was a great demand at the time because the federal government required title insurance, not abstracts, for all the land it was purchasing for the interstate highway system and the Missouri River dams in South Dakota. Ernie traveled throughout the state doing a great deal of title work on these projects, especially on Gavins Point Dam, Big Bend Dam, and Oahe Dam.
Because he helped modernize the field of title transactions by introducing title insurance to South Dakota in the early 1950’s, he is known as the state’s “Father of Title Insurance.”
Ernie and Bonnie started Land Title Guaranty Co. in Sioux Falls in 1955. Land Title was owned by the Carlsen family until the end of 2013, when Ernie retired at the age of 92. During Ernie and Bonnie’s ownership, Land Title insured over 90,000 real estate transactions.
Ernie was an excellent employer who hired and trained dozens of people during his years at Land Title. Two of his employees of 30+ years were with him at his death, and one of them called him the “Best Boss Ever.” Some of the people he trained are now in ownership or management positions at other title companies in South Dakota.
As an expert in real estate law and title insurance, he willingly shared his knowledge and skills with countless people in his community and statewide. He was a dedicated teacher in his own business and a volunteer teacher at conferences and conventions for lawyers, realtors, and title insurers.
He was the “go-to” guy for lawyers in both Sioux Falls and around the state when they had complicated problems relating to real property, including problems with land titles within estates. He was there to help and to educate, and he always enjoyed the challenge. He was a knowledgeable and trusted adviser to individuals, realtors, bankers, builders, developers, attorneys, and others with both simple and complex title questions.
As an innovator in his business, he introduced monthly profit sharing for his staff so they could immediately share in the profits of the business. Ernie and Bonnie helped pay college expenses for many young people on their staff, and they were innovators with paid maternity leave and medical leave. Due to his kindness, competence, and innovative leadership, he had a very loyal and devoted staff, some of whom worked for him for forty years. Twenty years was the average longevity for the staff at the time of his retirement.
Under Ernie’s stewardship, Land Title made contributions and provided free title services to many local causes and fundraising projects.
He was both a landowner and a landlord, as well as a businessman and community leader. As a landowner, he understood the complications of developing land, and he gave free advice and guidance to many young developers and contractors as they started their businesses. He was trusted and generous to hundreds of tenants who rented from him for more than thirty years.
Ernie was a founding charter member of the Sioux Empire Home Builders Association and was inducted into the Homebuilders Hall of Fame in 2006 in honor for his many contributions to the builders, contractors, and developers of Sioux Falls.
He was a leading member of the South Dakota Land Title Association since the 1950’s and twice served as its president in 1960-1961 and 1986-1987. As one of the recognized experts in the state, he was a regular lecturer at well attended main sessions and breakout sessions during the SDLTA annual conventions.
Ernie was an active contributor to the Realtor Association of the Sioux Empire (formerly the Sioux Falls Board of Realtors) for decades. From 1955 onward, Ernie worked with hundreds of realtors, frequently teaching classes on the application of property law to real estate transactions. He was a key contributor to the successful growth and professionalism of the real estate industry in Sioux Falls and in South Dakota. RASE/Sioux Falls Board of Realtors honored Ernie as Affiliate of the Year in 1994.
In 1955, Ernie joined the Sioux Falls Downtown Lions Club and was a leader and member for decades. Until very recently, he worked every Lions Club Pancake Days since its inception in 1958. Last year, his friend took him to Pancake Days in his 1939 LaSalle which is the year Ernie graduated from high school, and they were planning to go in the LaSalle again this year.
He served as Lions Club president in 1975 and was honored as the 1992 Lion of the Year by the Downtown Lions Club for Outstanding Service, Loyalty, and Devotion to the Lions Club. In 1995, the Downtown Lions Club presented the Melvin Jones Fellow for Dedicated Humanitarian Services to Ernie, and in 2013 a room was named after him at the South Dakota Lions Sight and Tissue Bank in Sioux Falls in recognition of his work on behalf of eye and tissue donations.
Ernie joined the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce in 1955 and for decades served on the Aviation and Transportation Committees for the Chamber. He was also a member of the American Legion for over seventy years.
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Ernie was a member of Toastmaster’s International. He served as the South Dakota District Governor in 1965 and attended the national convention in New York City in 1965.
Ernie always used to say, “You can recognize a great city by its parks. Great parks make a great city.” The parks of Sioux Falls are the crown jewels of the city and Ernie was a major contributor and innovator in the park system as well as an advocate for the preservation of iconic landmarks which are beloved in our city parks. From 1965 to 1975, Ernie served both as a member and as president of the Sioux Falls Park and Recreation Board.
Due to his leadership on the Park and Recreation Board, Ernie was on the Board of Directors of RISE (River Improvement of the Sioux Empire) and led a contingent which flew to San Antonio to meet the leaders of their Riverwalk, which inspired the creation of the city-wide improvements along the Sioux River which we enjoy today.
During his tenure, Ernie and his colleagues on the board began purchasing land and assisted in the donations of land to create the many parks along the river. They also began developing the beautiful and immensely popular bicycle paths, which now encircle the entire City of Sioux Falls. Ernie was instrumental in preserving the band shell at McKennan Park, and he and his colleagues also built three new swimming pools, added parks in several locations in Sioux Falls, expanded golf courses, and made many other park improvements.
In his capacity as the President of the Park Board, Ernie commenced negotiations with the Sioux Falls School Board in creating joint schools and parks, with this innovative approach first being used at the John Harris Elementary School. This joint program has continued as new schools and parks have been built around the city.
From 1975 to 1985, Ernie served as a member of the Board of Directors and as a two-term President of the Zoological Society of Sioux Falls. During this time, Ernie was active in the bond election to obtain the funds to create the Delbridge Museum of Natural History at the Sioux Falls Zoo. He was instrumental in assisting his good friend, C.J. Delbridge, in obtaining a mounted Panda Bear as a gift from the People’s Republic of China, which is now on display at the Delbridge Museum. Ernie and Bonnie traveled to China to meet with Chinese officials to secure the gift to the Zoological Society and the City of Sioux Falls. Their host in China became a friend to both Ernie and Bonnie and they worked with Mr. Delbridge to sponsor her children into the United States as students. They later became outstanding citizens.
Ernie was on the Zoological Society’s board when it negotiated a management contract with the Park and Recreation Board of the City of Sioux Falls. As a former member of the Park and Recreation Board and current member of the Zoological Society Board, Ernie was instrumental in developing the contract. The contract was cutting edge policy at the time and was created because people and foundations were more likely to give to a nonprofit organization than to a city government. The contract allowed the nonprofit Zoological Society to raise funds for the zoo and greatly expand the zoo’s exhibits while concurrently managing the zoo and its assets on behalf of the city. The zoo tripled in size after the Zoological Society started managing the zoo. With amendments, this contract remains in effect today and is a model for similar contracts for other city assets managed by nonprofit entities.
Mayor Jack White proclaimed May 19, 1992, “Ernest G. Carlsen Day” in Sioux Falls. The Proclamation recognized that “Ernest G. Carlsen has served with distinction in numerous civic and community organizations, such as President of the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Board, the Sioux Falls Zoological Society and Delbridge Museum of Natural History, Toastmasters International, and District Governor of South Dakota Toastmasters International….” and as a “member of the Board of Directors of the Sheldon Reese Foundation….” and “has been named by the Sioux Falls Downtown Lions Club as the 1992 Lion of the Year.”
For over twenty-five years, Ernie served as a Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of the Sheldon Reese Foundation, which has funded millions of dollars to about fifteen to twenty projects annually throughout South Dakota. Ernie was an active member of that board until age 97. In 2018, Production Suite 1 at South Dakota Public Broadcasting Sioux Falls Studios was named in his honor due to a gift made by the Reese Foundation.
Ernie was honored to be inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame as the “Father of Title Insurance” as part of a distinguished class in 2017. He thoroughly enjoyed the incredible induction weekend and gave his last speech as a final hurrah for a life of service to his community and the State of South Dakota.
He was an honorable businessman who loved his work, his city and his state, and was dedicated to serving the people he was privileged to know. In return, he was greatly loved by his family and staff and much respected by all who knew him.
Ernie was a good friend to many people, a loving companion to his wife, Bonnie, who died in 2002, and a wonderful influence on his three children, three grandsons, and four great-grandsons. With his example as a guide, his children and grandchildren have each sought in their own ways to do good work in their professions and to contribute to their communities. Ernie’s influence on the next generations was profound.
Besides his many other contributions to the community, Ernie actively supported many civic events throughout the years, including local musical events, and high school, college, and professional sports. He was a charter season ticket holder for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and was an avid fan of the Sioux Falls Storm. Ernie, Chris, and fellow travelers went to the Indianapolis 500 every year from 1974 to 2010, after which they ended their annual adventure as he no longer felt he could make the trip. He was an annual attendee at the Sioux Falls JazzFest since its co-founding by his son, Chris, in 1991, and could be found sitting quietly in the shade in his lawn chair enjoying the great music of JazzFest.
Ernie was a good-natured person who always enjoyed meeting people and sharing his knowledge and insights with anyone who asked, or his stories and jokes with anyone who would listen. He loved going “home” to the Carlsen Ranch and driving over the miles of prairie while telling stories of his youth. He loved all things cars and airplanes, boats and motor homes, rivers, lakes and prairies. He loved to fish and to hunt. He loved to listen to music and to dance. He loved listening to his grandson, Luke, sing with his big band. He loved to travel to just about anywhere. He was a stay-at-home, go-to-work, fun-loving, adventurous guy who packed a lot of living into a long and fruitful life.
Five days before he died, he very intently dictated this message:
Here I go, all used up, all worn out,
80 miles an hour in my white Corvette
loudly proclaiming –
Wow! What a Ride!
Ernie is survived by his daughter Cindy Kirkeby of Vermillion; his son, Chris, and his wife, Sandra, of Sioux Falls; three grandsons, Daniel Kirkeby, and his wife, Renata, and two great-grandsons, Miro and Thales, of New York, New York, Jensen Carlsen, and his wife, Amy, and two great-grandsons, Judah and Jedidiah, of Houston, Texas, and Luke Carlsen of Los Angeles, California; his very special friend, LaVon Hines and her family; many nieces and nephews, many members of his staff at Land Title, and his many younger friends. Ernie was preceded in death by his wife, Bonnie, his daughter, Nancy, his grandson, Nathaniel, his parents, his eight siblings, and countless friends and business contemporaries. He often lamented how it was tough to outlive Bonnie, Nancy, and his many friends and relatives.
Visitation with the family will be from 2-4 pm on Sunday, March 31, 2019, at Miller Funeral Home. Ernie’s Celebration of Life will be at First Lutheran Church in downtown Sioux Falls at 11am on Monday, April 1, 2019, followed by lunch at the church, burial in Vermillion, and food and friendship at Cindy’s after the burial.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Dakota Lions Sight and Health, 4501 W. 61st St. N., Sioux Falls, SD 57107.
- Miller Funeral Home |
