Carol Marie Perkins died on Sept. 6 at the age of 83. She was born on Feb. 19, 1940, to the Rev. Earl Gustafson and Ruth Elaine (Laurence) Gustafson.
Mrs. Perkins’ parents preceded her in death in 1965 and 2002. Also preceding her in death was her only sibling, Shirley Ruth Johnson, in 2010, and the father of her two children, Charles H. Carlson, in 2006.
Mrs. Perkins lived an exciting childhood, having lived in Illinois, California, and Michigan. She graduated from Irondale High School in 1958 and the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1961, earning her RN degree. Her interest in traveling was launched after working in Virginia and Michigan and traveling to Japan and Korea.
Traveling continued when Mrs. Perkins married Dr. Phillip E. Perkins in 1973. The family grew to include Dr. Perkins’ sons, Phillip and Michael. Dr. and Mrs. Perkins enjoyed trips around the country, to the Virgin Islands, and to Europe.
In 2014, Mrs. Perkins was diagnosed with cancer, and in 2023 she suffered a stroke, changing their lives forever. But their faith in God and their love for each other kept them strong. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2023.
Surviving Mrs. Perkins are her husband and their four children, Phillip Perkins, Knoxville; Kirsten (Carlson) Solmos (Dr. Gene Solmos), Wilmette Ill.; Michael Perkins, Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Barry Carlson (Julie Levine Carlson) of Arlington Heights, Ill. Also surviving her are several nephews, nieces, cousins, nine grandchildren (from the Solmos family are Catherine, Brian, Michael, William, John, Joseph and Mary Grace, and from the Carlson family are Matthew and Sydney), and a special cousin, Jayne Willbur.
A funeral Mass for Mrs. Perkins was held at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut on Sept. 18. Her burial was in the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in East Knoxville.
