It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of a great man on October 25, 2016. Born to Agnes and Bjarne Carstens on January 15, 1922, as Alf Bengt Hoeg Carstens in Copenhagen, Denmark. Alf brought his sharp wit and strong heart with him to the United States with his parents when he was 5 years old settling in San Francisco, where he attended Balboa High School. As a young adult Alf legally dropped his two middle names to be simply, 'Alf Carstens'. This was most likely the beginning of his life-long philosophy of "keep is simple." "Think smart, work smart and keep it simple".
Alf joined the army and flew P-38's and P-51's for many missions from England to Germany during WWll. In 1944, he became a member of the Caterpiller Club, having had his life saved by parachute. After the war, Alf returned to California and married his childhood sweetheart, Carolyn Johnson. They met at the young age of 7 in Sveadal, a Swedish community in the Santa Cruz mountains, where both their parents spent summers. They married at 25 and spent 54 years together until Carolyn's passing in 2001.
Alf became a Real Estate broker and developer in San Mateo initially working with his father in law, Alex V. Johnson, for San Mateo Investment Company. In 1975, he formed Carstens Realty where he worked with his children until the age of 87.
Alf was a soft-spoken man who carried a strong presence. You always knew when he had entered the room. Alf's passion for his work, animals and his family was like no other. His inspiration, passion, and strong moral character continues to live on in his four children; Linda Hall (Doug), Terry Ann Carstens, Carla Carstens, Chris Carstens (Liz) and his seven grandchildren; Kari and Jamie Hall, Trevor Gearin, Jenna, Brent, Ken and Casey Carstens. Alf is also survived by his dear friend, Caroline Kochaly and his little puppy, Sandy III.
He is loved, known, and respected by many, and will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace Papa. We love you.
A private family ‘celebration of life’ will be held. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Sveadal Memorial Fund-1019 Pinehurst Court, Millbrae, CA 94030, or your favorite charity.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.