Richard “Dick” Warner Carlson’s life began in hardship and ended in hard-won peace. Abandoned as an infant to a Boston orphanage, he moved through foster homes before being adopted, later joining the Marines after being expelled at 17, and eventually rising in journalism, foreign service, and Washington circles. Known to friends as a thoughtful reader and skeptic with an “outlaw spirit” tempered by decency, he shared his passions with his sons, blending reporting trips with lessons on literature and human nature. Four decades with his second wife, Patricia Swanson, brought joy, and surrounded by family and his dogs, he spent his final weeks with clarity and love, leaving a legacy deeply etched in those he touched.
