Evelyn Carlson Kent

Highlands/Sarasota - Evelyn Carlson Kent, of Sarasota, Fla., went to be with her Lord on Sept. 12, 2010, in Highlands, N.C., at the age of 85. At her side was Wendel, her husband of 59 years.

Evelyn expressed her joy in God’s Creation through her gardens, which she lovingly designed, planted and tended at their home in Sarasota and at their summer home in Highlands.

She was born Sept. 7, 1925, in Gilmore, Fla., a small fishing community on the St. Johns River, to Edward and Tina Carlson, who had immigrated from Scandinavia. She grew up during the Great Depression in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she graduated from St. Petersburg High School. The first of her family to attend college, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Cornell University. She was assistant dean of women at Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C., from 1949 to 1951.

Evelyn and Wendel, who met at Cornell in 1946, were married in 1951 in St. Petersburg. They spent their early married years in Champaign, Ill. In 1959 they moved to Sarasota, where they raised their three sons. After their children were grown, Evelyn, a lifelong gardener, entered the floral business, owning and operating Hillview Flowers and Greenery, Sarasota, for many years, during which she expanded the business with outlets on St. Armand’s Circle and in Boca Grande.

She was proud of her Norwegian heritage. She led her family to Norway in 1973 to restore her grandfather’s farmhouse, which had passed to her, in the hamlet Kvestad. After retirement she devoted her full attention to her gardens.

She was a founding member of Siesta Key Chapel, Sarasota.

Surviving are: her husband, Wendel; her sons, Stephen (Sara), Peter (Francine), and Richard; her granddaughters, Melissa Morrill, Skye Kent, Emily Kent and Wendy Kent; her niece, Sally Lock; and her nephews, David Twardock, Robert Twardock and Paul Twardock. She was predeceased by her sister, Elena Carlson Benedict.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17, at Toale Brothers Funeral Home, 40 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota. Funeral service will be at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18, at Siesta Key Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Florida programs of the Nature Conservancy, 222 S. Westmonte Dr., Ste. 300, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714.

Bryant-Grant Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.
Online condolences are available by visiting bryantgrantfuneralhome.com or by email.