Carolyn G. Wilson

Carolyn A. (Grant) Wilson, 82, of Sarasota, Fla., formerly of Manchester, Ct., died of natural causes on Sept. 2, 2020 at an assisted living facility in Tampa. Her husband Earle Wilson was at her side.

Possessed of a congenital dislike of cold weather, Carolyn had the misfortune to be born in Lyndon Center, Vt., and grow up in St. Johnsbury. Her mother, the formidable Ella (Hoskins) Grant, instilled a strong work ethic but never dented her daughter’s sense of mischief. As a teen, Carolyn dropped an armload of dishes from a second-floor balcony just to see her family’s reaction. But the dishes were clean.

At 18, she married West Burke, Vt. native Earle Wilson. (Each year on their anniversary, the couple discussed whether they wanted to renew their deal for another year. They renewed it 63 times.) He swept her off to El Paso, Texas, and then Southern California, where he was stationed in the U.S. Air Force. It was warm and they had many friends and two babies. In 1960, the family settled in Manchester, Ct., quite a bit farther north than Carolyn would have liked. Earle went into business with his brother and for years Carolyn answered the kitchen phone with the words, “Wilson Electric.”

The job she loved most was raising her family. She wanted a dozen kids but desisted after she got a girl on the fourth try. When her children were little, she made them run around the house in their undies at the end of the day in hopes of tiring them out. She went through two station wagons driving them to Cub Scouts, archery competitions, dance lessons, hockey and Little League practices and, frequently, the emergency room. She loved holidays and made sure her family woke up on Christmas morning to a sea of lovingly wrapped gifts.

She told her children she had once been a famous singer who appeared on the Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin shows. They could not disprove this. When they asked how she knew they were misbehaving in the backseat, she told them she had eyes in the back of her head. Postmortem results are pending. She was a splendid cook, a better-than-average bowler and a smooth and graceful tennis player. When the family cat, Kitty, had a kitten, she named it Spare.

The family spent summers at their cottage on Coventry Lake, where Carolyn and Earle hosted temperance-free bashes that involved swimming, sailing, Jarts, volleyball, ping pong and late-night dancing at Lakeside. Carolyn was proud of having towed hundreds of water skiers behind the family Glastron without an accident (one skier hit the dock, but not hard).

Over the years she was known by many names: Mom, Da Mommy, MIL, Grammy and, while her children were studying Spanish in high school, Juan.

When her children were grown, she started a small bookkeeping company and made more friends than money. In retirement, she and Earle divided their time between Manchester and Sarasota, Fla. Carolyn perfected her high, slow golf backswing at Manchester and Stoneybrook country clubs. Her church homes were South United Methodist in Manchester and Hyde Park United Methodist in Tampa.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son Daniel and daughter-in-law Sharon, of Bolton, Ct., son Michael and daughter-in-law Alisa, of Dallas, Texas, and daughter Cheryl Parrish and son-in-law John Parrish, of Tampa, Fla. Carolyn also leaves brother Russell Grant and sister-in-law Marie and many nieces and nephews. She was loved and cherished by seven grandchildren: Chelsea, Kaitlyn, Olivia, Julia, Dyami, Lena and Kirby.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her brothers Dexter and Richard Grant, sister Christine Rodger and son Russell Wilson.

Burial services in Sarasota will be private, with a celebration of life anticipated next year. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to alz.org.

In Carolyn’s last years, as her health declined, Earle would take her on drives around Florida. Mostly silent during the long rides, she would occasionally surprise him with the same few words: “Everything is so beautiful.”