Mary Nan Carroll

Mary Nan Carroll, 85, went home to Glory on December 7, 2015 after a long illness. Mary Nan was well-known and beloved in multiple communities and civic groups in the Central Florida area. She was a passionate contributor to the growth of the Central Florida education system and the faith community during her 50+ years as a resident in College Park, Union Park, Clermont, and her final years in the Westminster Towers near Downtown Orlando. Mary Nan Davis was born on April 4, 1930 in Foley, Alabama, the second of ten children born to Oris and Maude Davis. She was an honors graduate of Emory University (BS – Nursing) in 1950 and later in her career received her Master of Education Administration from Rollins College in Winter Park. She married the Reverend Benjamin Reese Blackburn of Orlando in 1948 while both were studying at Emory. Together they had four children over the next 10 years– Carol, Kathryn, Karen, and Benjamin Jr. They began their ministry together in 1953 in various United Methodist churches throughout Central Florida until Rev. Blackburn’s death after a protracted illness in 1967 at age 41, leaving Mary Nan a widow at age 37 with four children between the ages of 7 and 14. With this new challenge, Mary Nan restarted her career in 1967 as an RN at Florida South Hospital (formerly Florida Sanitarium and Hospital), transitioning her career over the next two decades in nursing and adult education for the Orange County Public Schools. She received the “Woman of the Year - Central Florida” award in 1979 for her service in developing and implementing adult education curricula in healthcare. Upon her retirement in 1987, she had left a legacy of accomplishments for a robust adult education program in Orlando, one of the fastest growing communities in the country. Mary Nan was a lifelong member, lay leader, and teacher in the United Methodist church, which she had served faithfully for over 65 years. She frequently participated in the annual UMC Florida Conferences and also was a founding member of the Community of Faith United Methodist Church in Davenport, Florida. She was a passionate servant in various forms of ministry outreach during her adult life. She was actively involved in hospital visitation, transportation for the elderly, and ministries to her disabled neighbors. She eagerly embraced and started local Bible studies in her community, always in the learning mode when it came to learning and applying God’s Word. In 1997-98, Mary Nan met and married Lt. Col. Sterling P. Carroll (USAF, Ret.), which began her transformation to an “adventurous soul”. Together Sterling and Mary Nan cruised North America in a Dutch Star mobile home for over six years, … meeting new people, seeing the world, and enjoying the twilight years of their lives. After Sterling passed away in 2005, Mary Nan claimed that their seven years together “were perhaps the happiest years of my life”. Mary Nan is survived by her four children: Carol June Blackburn of Orlando; Dr. Kathryn Ann Blackburn of Orlando; Karen Blackburn Edfeldt (husband: Richard) of Franklin, NC; and Benjamin Reese Blackburn,Jr. (wife: Linda) of Cheshire, CT. She leaves a legacy of three (3) surviving grandchildren – Benjamin Edfeldt, Kathryn Edfeldt, and Caroline Blackburn. and two (2) great-grandchildren – Tucker Edfeldt and Libby Edfeldt. Mary Nan also had two grandsons who died prematurely, Jacob Blackburn Edfeldt (d. 2009) and Reese Blackburn (d. 2013). Mary Nan was considered the “matriarch of the Davis family” by many of her brothers, having played a key role in raising them as children! She is survived by six (6) of her nine siblings: Robert Davis, Sylvia (Davis) Rhea; Alan Davis, Alfred Davis, Wayne Davis, and Harry Davis.

Mary Nan Carroll

April 4, 1930 - December 8, 2015