On Thursday, April 22, 2021, Carroll Black-Brown passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home. She will be missed by all of her family, along with her long-time Paso Robles friends.
Carroll was born on December 12, 1937, in a log cabin outside of Roseburg, Oregon. Her father worked as a ranch hand, and they moved around quite a bit until finally settling in Paso Robles in 1941. She grew up in a house on Vine Street, right across the street from the Glen Speck Junior High School.
She met her future husband, Terry Black when they were both in 8th grade, and they dated all through high school. They both graduated from Paso Robles High School in 1956, and they were married the following year. Terry started the first business down at the Black Oak Corner with Hugh Black in 1958, managing the Atlantic Richfield gas station. It was the only business down there at that time besides Grandpa Hugh’s turkey hatchery!
They bought the Paso Robles Tire Company in 1962 and ran a very successful business in downtown Paso Robles for the next twenty years until 1982 when they were divorced.
Carroll went back to college in 1978, graduating from Cuesta College in 1980 and then graduating Magnum Cum Laude from Cal Poly in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in child and family development. After graduation, she went to work for the Private Industry Council and lived in San Luis Obispo and Los Osos before moving back to Paso Robles in 1989.
She met the second love of her life, Jim Brown, in 1996, and they were married in 1999, and they soon bought a house at Heritage Ranch. Both were retired by then, and they spent the next twenty years hosting their big extended family and friends out at the Nacimiento Lake on summer weekends and the holidays.
During Carroll’s retirement, she took up painting and amazed her family by producing some beautiful paintings and drawings. She won numerous awards at the Mid-State Fair, had a showing at the Paso Robles Library, and spent a week in Florence, Italy, on an art trip that involved painting classes and museum visits.
Carroll Black-Brown is survived by her son Kent Black of Los Angeles, daughters Brenda Debellis and Sherrill Roth (husband Louie Castaneda) of Paso Robles, and son Michael Black of Cannon Falls, MN.
She was the proud grandmother of Kala Roth and JT Roth, Dominic Debellis (wife Danielle Debellis), and Haley Black.
She was the great-grandmother of Lyrika Cross, Jayden Cross, Leilani Roth, Trenton & Treavon Perry of Paso Robles and Loralai Debellis and Ellie Debellis of Colorado Springs, CO.
She was preceded in her death by her husband Jim Brown, her father Harry Beaudion, and her mother, Lottie Ladonna Evans.
A memorial service will be held in August at the gravesite of her father and mother at the Paso Robles Cemetery. The date and details will be forthcoming soon.
