Evelyn Dorothy Koerner-Quist

May her beautiful spirit and love of life remain in our hearts forever.

Born on June 9, 1920 to Edith and Nicholas Larson in Manhattan, Evelyn was the third of four children in her family and the only surviving child, as Harold, Viola, and Edward had preceded her in death. A child of the Great Depression, she was forced to leave school at the age of 16 in order to work to help support the family. Although she was poor Evelyn had an amazing sense of style and her beautiful figure in a bathing suit gave her the nickname, “Legs Larson,” a title we fondly reminded her of as she grew older and those beautiful legs remained ageless.

In her early twenties, Evelyn met a handsome young man Al Koerner, and they married in September of 1944, while he was in the U.S. Air Force during the Second World War. They remained happily married for almost 44 years until his death in 1988. Together they had three children, Donna, Dennis and Sharon, while they lived in New Jersey and Al began his career as an interior designer. Evelyn was a homemaker and part-time assistant to Al during the busy seasons. Our home was always beautifully decorated and full of love and laughter.

In 1958, our family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where our father began his own interior design business once again. Evelyn became his office manager and worked with our dad for the remainder of his life. Our parents had an active social life, had many friends, and were beautiful ballroom dancers. It was not unusual to see our dad in tuxedo and our mom in a beautiful formal gown she had sewn and designed herself. They were a stunningly beautiful couple!

Always an incredibly brave and optimistic woman, Mom survived breast cancer in 1968 and became one of the first women to volunteer to help other breast cancer victims in a new organization called “Reach to Recovery.” Because of her success in the program, she was featured on a Miami based TV show called
“Montage” as she visited with a patient, at a time when no one talked about breast cancer.

Having regretted her inability to finish high school, she decided to get her GED during her fifties. She then enrolled in Broward Community College where she earned her A.A. degree and studied Art, a passion she shared with our father. She began to paint with oils and became a talented artist, her paintings adorning many of our dad’s clients homes and her work was displayed in the Vero Beach Artists Guild for several years after she moved to Vero Beach full-time in 1988. Painting remained her passion until her late 80’s.

After our dad’s death in 1988, Mom lived alone until August of 1999 when she married her old friend, George W. Quist, whose wife Ruth, a dear friend of Mom’s, passed away. George’s three daughters, Karen Lund, Debbie Larson, and Jody McKenna, became a part of our extended family and Mom loved each of them dearly. George has been a devoted husband and caregiver to our Mom throughout their 17 year marriage. She was his “darling” and he made sure she had the best of everything and the most loving caregivers during her illnesses. He never left her side when she was ill and he absolutely adored her every day of her life.

During her last weeks, her grandchildren and children were with her much of the time and she enjoyed their visits, sharing memories and laughter. She celebrated her 97th birthday with the family, wearing a new dress and silver lizard slippers at her home on June 10th.

Our family would like to thank Mom’s extraordinary caregiver, Rebecca Tillis – her longtime companion and caregiver, as well as Vanessa Tillis, and Jennifer
Thornton, who lovingly cared for her around the clock during the last weeks of her life. We would also like to thank all of the VNA Hospice nurses who guided her medical care and provide support to our family during this difficult time.

During her last day, Mom passed away with all of her children, her husband, George, his daughter, Karen, her granddaughter Erika, and Rebecca by her bedside. She left us quietly and without pain, for which we are all grateful.

Our mom is survived by her husband George, her three children: Dennis Koerner and his wife, Mimi, Donna Olson, and Sharon Sexton and her husband, Sean; her five grandchildren: David Olson, Larry Olson, Erika Lundeen, Julia Boggs, and Michael Sexton; and her four great-grandchildren: Jessica Olson, Gavin
Olson, Caleb Lundeen and Georgia Boggs; as well as George’s daughters: Karen, Debbie and Jody; and her many nieces, nephews, and relatives.

Our Mom will be remembered for her grace and beauty, her love of life, her courage and strength, and her constant belief that her “cup was half full” no matter what difficulty arose. Her love remains with us and we will always be grateful for her presence in our lives.

We give thanks for all of the support and prayers we have received from so many friends and relatives throughout this difficult time.

A Celebration of Life will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 15, 2017 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 3780 S Hwy A1A, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951.

In lieu of flowers, we request that donations be made in her name to VNA Hospice or the Humane Society of Indian River.

Donna, Dennis & Sharon