Mary Carson Pease

Mary Carson Pease (Carson), 74, passed away peacefully on November 10, 2023 in Portland, ME, after a long battle with cancer. Carson was born on May 12, 1949, in Charlotte, NC to James Norman Pease Jr. and Mary Carson Jones Pease, who predeceased her. Also predeceasing her is her brother, James Norman Pease III, who passed away in 2017.

Survivors include Sandy Evans of Portland and Belfast, ME, her wife and partner of forty years, and her brother, Edwin Jones Pease and his wife, Emily, of Williamsburg, VA. She also leaves behind her sister-in-law, Sidney Pease, of Charleston, SC, and her brother-in-law, Mark Evans, of Atlanta, GA; nephew Jay Pease (Catherine), of Mount Pleasant, SC, and their daughters Darby and Carson; nephew Josh Pease (Meg) of Atlanta, GA, and their sons Declan and Kieran; niece Lilly Pease, of Far Rockaway, NY; niece Mae Pease Shaw (Derek), of Norfolk, VA, and their children Julia and Sam; and nephew Hunter Pease (Gaby Blanquiz), of Richmond, VA. Carson also leaves behind a beloved circle of friends with whom she and Sandy shared many good times.

After Carson graduated from Myers Park High School in Charlotte, she received a BA from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, and then moved to Atlanta, where she trained as a lineman for Southern Bell & Telegraph Co. (now BellSouth). While at BellSouth, she met Sandy, who was an attorney for the corporation, and the two became a pair. Carson went on to earn a Master's Degree in Historic Preservation at Georgia State University.

Carson and Sandy shared a love of fine and folk art, pottery, and sculpture, all of which they carefully collected. They also shared a love of cats and dogs. The list of their beloved dogs over the years is long, including two Lab mixes, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and three Boston Terriers.

In 2007, Carson enlisted her brother, Ed, an architect, to design a house in the hills of Mineral Bluff, GA, where Sandy’s father had purchased property years earlier. Not long after, Carson and Sandy purchased a second home in Belfast, ME, allowing Sandy to return to New England, where she had grown up in Wakefield, MA. In Belfast, Carson and Sandy enjoyed many summers kayaking the Passagassawakeag River and inviting friends and family to experience the beauty of Maine. In 2021, Carson became a full-time Mainer when she and Sandy moved permanently to Portland.

Carson possessed a gentle spirit and a courageous heart. She was quick to laugh and quick to offer a kind word, and she was an inspiration to her friends and family. She bravely declared her love for Sandy almost as soon as they met. Once gay marriage became legal, she rejoiced in being able to marry the love of her life.

Funeral arrangements in the care of Jones, Rich and Barnes Funeral Home Portland, ME. A joyous celebration of Carson’s life will occur at a later date.

Memorial gifts may be given in Carson’s name to: Maine Coast Heritage Trust, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island Suite 201, Topsham, ME 04086; Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, 11 Hunnewell Rd., Scarborough, ME, 04074; Animal Relief League of Greater Portland, P.O. Box 336, Westbrook, ME 04098; or Humane Society of Blue Ridge Georgia, 171 Mineral Springs Rd., Blue Ridge, GA.