About Marion Carlstrom
Lived 1919 – 2010 (aged 90). Marion Carlstrom was an American aircraft pilot.
Marion Virginia Carlstrom Trick (May 20, 1919 – January 14, 2010) was the first woman from Colorado to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots and the second woman in Peru to receive a pilot's license.
Carlstrom was born May 20, 1919, in Jackson County, Colorado. Her father, Carl Carlstrom, was a Swedish immigrant who worked as a civilian flight instructor. and made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Chicago. Marion Carlstrom "grew up looking at the pictures and reading the clippings" about her uncle, and was determined to become a pilot. She was stationed at Love Field in Texas. There, she met and married Carl Trick, a U.S. Army Major.
After the war, Carlstrom and her husband moved to her father's ranch in the North Park basin of Colorado, later named the North Park Angus Ranch. They were credited with introducing Angus cattle to the basin and being the first ranchers in the basin to artificially inseminate their cattle. Carlstrom flew occasionally in a friend's plane, but explained, "We were used to flying such great airplanes, and there was no way we could afford to fly planes like that." She looked back fondly on her piloting career: "I think every child, no matter how much they love this country, love the ranching, should go out and know that it's a big world. Get their self-confidence, know what they can do. Then they can come back because they want to come back, not because it seemed the easiest thing to do, or because they were hesitant or afraid to try something else. This makes people strong." In 1961, she was on an episode of Say When!! (game show), where she beat Mr. Mortensen, a tugboat deckhand. Carlstrom had two children, Carl and Christine. She died on January 14, 2010.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Marion Carlstrom's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Marion Carlstrom?
American aviator and rancher
When was Marion Carlstrom born?
Marion Carlstrom was born on 20 May 1919 in Jackson County.
When did Marion Carlstrom die?
Marion Carlstrom died on 14 January 2010.
What was Marion Carlstrom's occupation?
Marion Carlstrom was an aircraft pilot.
What nationality was Marion Carlstrom?
Marion Carlstrom was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Marion Carlstrom. https://biography.guide/marion-carlstrom/
MLA: "Marion Carlstrom." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/marion-carlstrom/.
Chicago: "Marion Carlstrom." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/marion-carlstrom/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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