Evelyn Carlson

Evelyn Carlson, a resident of Albuquerque for 62 years, died on January 9, 2020. She was 102 years old. She leaves behind a large family, all of whom will sorely miss her.

She was born in Sylvania, Ohio as Evelyn Gertrude Fuhrer on August 5, 1917—exactly 30 years after the birth of her father, Burt Fuhrer. Her mother was Alfaretta Petit.

She loved her early life. Her dad had a 10-acre plot where he grew vegetables and fruits and sold them at a nearby road stand and at his café in Sylvania, called Fuhrer Gardens. They had a nice life in Sylvania and Evelyn loved helping out at both the food stand and the store. This lasted until 1932 when her dad lost his business due to the depression and became a farmer in nearby rental farms.

Evelyn graduated 3rd in her class of 54 from Burnham High School in Sylvania, in 1935. She had scholarships to both Ohio U. (drama) and Toledo (English). However, she married Bill Robens, from nearby Toledo, whom she had met at a high school dance and whose heritage was Lebanese.

Their life began during the depth of the depression and jobs were tough to come by, but they had the support of two very different families and Evelyn loved the challenges. She gave birth to two boys, Billy in 1936 and Bobby in 1937. Her marriage to Bill, she wrote, started her off on “ … a new and adventurous life.” This marriage lasted 25 years, and during that time, Evelyn lived in 6 states, in at least 11 cities, on 3 farms, and in at least 24 houses. She also worked occasional jobs and developed skills that would serve her well in later years.

A second family came along in 1950 when Christine was born in El Paso, TX; then in 1951, Kathleen was born in Albuquerque. Bill and Evelyn moved to Albuquerque in 1952, and that is where they settled for many years and where Evelyn lived out most of her life. Evelyn gave birth to Susie, her fifth (and last) child, in Albuquerque, in 1959.

Shortly thereafter, the marriage between Evelyn and Bill was ended. In 1961, Evelyn married Jim Carlson who was an auto dealer service manager. They stayed in Albuquerque, were active in the VFW and travelled throughout the Midwest and East. They spent many happy years together. Evelyn worked in accounting at Kirtland AFB and had advanced from GS-3 to GS-11 when she retired. Jim suffered health problems late in life and died in 1996.

Evelyn, an avid reader, remained at her house on Richmond and participated fully in family events, as a retiree from Kirtland and as a Golden Eagle. She enjoyed frequent visits from her family who were warmly welcomed into her spare bedroom. Her last 6 years were spent with her daughter in Maryland. She passed away quietly on Thursday, January 9, 2020.  Surviving her are 4 of her 5 children, and (approximately) 17 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren.

She said frequently that she was happy with the life she had led and for wonderful family and friends. She participated in life fully and found it exciting and full of new experiences. She was thoughtful and intelligent and contributed positively and in many ways to the lives of the people around her.

She will be deeply missed by many and will be remembered for, among many other things, her generosity of spirit, her willingness to help, her determined independence, the love she had for life, and for her cabbage rolls and posole.

Services will be held Friday, January 24, 2020, 10:00 a.m. at FRENCH - Lomas.  Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Animal Humane of New Mexico animalhumanenm.org/donate/