Evelyn Lucille Carson, a longtime resident of Brookings, died on Tuesday, November 23, 2004 at her home in Brookings after a long and valiant struggle against Alzheimer disease. She was 83 years of age. Funeral services will be 2:00 P.M. Saturday, November 27, 2004, at First Baptist Church in Brookings, with interment in Greenwood Cemetery. Visitations will be from 4-6 p.m. Friday at Eidsness Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to First Baptist Church or to the Paul and Evelyn Carson Scholarship at SDSU. Evelyn was the daughter of Everett and Bernice (Laird) Euritt. She was born on April 11, 1921 on her parents' farm south of Kellerton, in Ringgold County, Iowa. She grew up and attended school in Mount Ayr, Iowa where she was an excellent student and talented high school debater, being recognized at the State level. She attended Northwest Missouri Teacher's College in Marysville, Missouri. In 1939 she started teaching in one room, eight-grade level county schools in Southern Iowa, and later in Lebanon, Oregon. In 1940 Evelyn married Paul Pratt. They had two daughters, Karen Ann and Connie Jo. They lived in Oregon for several years until the marriage ended. Evelyn returned to Iowa, taking a job with Rural Electrification Agency (REA). In the summer of 1952 an old college friend, Paul Carson, stopped by her office and asked her out for coffee. As he so fondly says "the rest is history." They were married one year later. They made their home in Brookings where Paul was a member of the SDSU faculty. Together they welcomed 2 more children to the family, Paula and Brent. On June 29, 2003, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Most of those 50 years they spent in Brookings with opportunities for travel and adventure interspersed in between which Evelyn loved. They returned to Iowa State University in Ames for 2 years, and lived in Bogota, Colombia, for 2 years and Gabarone, Botswana, for 2 years. Evelyn was a devout Christian with an unwavering faith in God. Towards the end of her life she found great comfort in the music of the church. She still remembered and was able to sing every word of every verse of all the old familiar hymns. She was a member of the First Baptist Church and especially enjoyed the Baptist Women's Group. She was also a member of the Brookings Hospital Auxiliary, the South Dakota State College AAUW, the Crafts Group and the Saturday Literary Club (that meets on Tuesday). She enjoyed the many happy times she spent at neighborhood coffee parties, bridge playing, antiquing, crocheting, cooking, fishing, entertaining, and gardening. She was a good friend and neighbor and a wonderful wife and mom who will be greatly missed by all of us who loved her so much. Evelyn is survived by her husband, Paul, of Brookings; three daughters, Paula Carson of Brookings, Connie Jo (Danny) Keever of Gladstone, Missouri; and Karen Ann Hampton of Vancouver, Washington; one son, Brent (Deb) Carson of Ft. Collins, Colorado; one sister, Margaret Campbell of Mt Ayr, Iowa; seven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a sister, Ruth, and two brothers, Marion and Donald.