Obituaries : Dr. Arthur Carlan; Chiropractor

Dr. Arthur Carlan, a longtime Northridge chiropractor and Canoga Park resident, has died in North Hollywood. He was 71.

Carlan died Aug. 24 from complications of lymphoma, said his son, Robert Carlan.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 29, 1918, Carlan attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for a year following high school, studying graphic arts and pen and ink drawing. He served for five years in the U.S. Army during World War II, achieving the rank of first lieutenant. After he was discharged, he graduated from the Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis.

He moved to California in 1951 and received his chiropractor’s license, but instead went to work in the computer field. He held positions as a programmer and a systems analyst at Lockheed Corp. in Burbank and the Marquardt Co. in Van Nuys. In the late 1960s he was appointed director of education at the now-defunct Computer Training Institute in Encino. He later worked in a systems analyst at Litton Industries in Woodland Hills.

In 1970, he opened a chiropractic office in Northridge, where he worked full-time until two years ago when he cut back his hours to part-time.

Family members said Carlan will be remembered for his humor, and his knack of having a joke for every situation. He wrote humorous rhymes that he complied into a 1983 book titled “If the Shoe Fits.”

He had a variety of interests including table tennis, bowling and billiards and helped start a Toastmasters Club in Northridge in the mid-1970s. He also enjoyed swing and ballroom dancing and was a member of the Tuesday Senior Dance Club, based in Sun Valley.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Etta Carlan; a son, Robert Carlan of Beverly Hills; a daughter, Marlene Carlan of Los Angeles; and a sister, Lynn Ribakove of Brooklyn, N.Y.

A funeral service was held Wednesday with burial at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills. Groman-Eden Mortuary in Mission Hills handled the arrangements. Donations can be made in Carlan’s name to the Jewish National Fund in Los Angeles, which plants trees in Israel, or to the General Israel Orphans Home for Girls, 132 Nassau St., N.Y., N.Y. 10038.