Anne Spence Carlson

Katharine Anne Spence Carlson died peacefully, Sunday, September 7th, in Austin, Texas with her husband, John and her two sons, Robert and Richard at her side. Katharine Anne and her twin sister Mary Patricia were born May 3, 1943, in Fort Worth, Texas. When her father, Lt. Col. Robert William Spence, returned from World War II, the family moved to Austin, Texas. Anne's father attended law school and built the family's home on Meadowbrook, about a half block from The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. Anne and her twin sister grew up there and later on, on Greenlee Drive. Anne served on the Stephen Ministry Program and on the Vestry in later years.

Anne graduated from Austin High School and attended The University of Texas at Austin. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She was Miss Wool of Texas in 1962, and a runner-up to Miss Wool of America in 1963. In the spring of 1963, she was Varsity Carnival Chair for the Kappa's when she met her future husband, John. She was presented as a debutante by both the Junior Helping Hand Home for Children and The Bachelors of Austin in 1963. She married John Leonard Carlson on March 16th, 1965, at The Episcopal Church of The Good Shepherd. By mid 1965, faced with the US Army draft, John enlisted for Officer Candidate School in the US Army Corps of Engineers and the couple spent two years in Germany before returning to the United States. They had two sons, John Robert Carlson and John Richard Carlson.

After returning to Austin, Anne was a member of The Junior League of Austin and served as Chair of The Thrift Shop, Editor of The Capitalines and in 1976, Ways and Means Chair. As the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Anne and her committee members developed "A Christmas Affair", which was a merchant's market for the Christmas season. The first Christmas Affair was held at The Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin. The following year "A Christmas Affair" was moved to the city auditorium which provided more space. This year, 2025, will be the fiftieth year for "A Christmas Affair". Following her active Junior League service, Anne returned to school and completed her Bachelors, Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Clinical Psychology and Gerontology. She established a private practice with her colleague Dr. Gary Mathews, seeing private clients and providing counseling in several nursing homes.

In addition to her public and professional accomplishments, Anne was a fabulous Wife, Mother and Friend. She loved entertaining her grandchildren for "Summer Camp" at Lake Buchanan, boating, swimming, fishing and playing games. Her vegetable gardens and fruit trees there were wonderful and resulted in many canning projects. She loved to fish and no one could clean and filet a fish like Anne. The holidays were Anne's specialty, particularly Thanksgiving and especially Christmas with every spot in the house beautifully decorated. Anne always set a beautiful table for guests. She was never worried about a new or complex menu, and it always worked. She loved her children deeply and raised them to be kind and respectful. They have grown into remarkable men. Anne has made Life wonderful for her family and friends in every way.

Anne Spence Carlson is survived by her husband John Leonard Carlson, Architect, her two sons Robert and Richard, her grandchildren Amber Katharine, Emily Elizabeth, Elodie Anne, and Guy Thibaut; and her step-grandchildren Charles and Julien. She is further survived by Robert's wife Özlem and Richard's wife Sharon. She was preceded in death by her father Robert William Spence, her mother, Katharine Anderson Spence and her twin sister, Mary Patricia Spence.

Funeral services will be held at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, Texas on the 29th of September at 3:00 pm. Interment will be in the Columbarium at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to favorite charities or to The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd.