Local artist Carolyn Bentley, age 83, of Prospect Hill Road, Noank, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013.
Carolyn was born Dec. 2, 1929, the daughter of O.D.H. Bentley and Dorothy (Beebe) Bentley. She received her art education at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Early in her career, she worked as an illustrator for The Christian Science Monitor and other publications. From 1961 to 1978, she was a children's book and textbook illustrator for several east coast publishers, including Franklin Watts, Inc., and McGraw Hill. Her many book titles included Good Grooming for Girls, Let's Find Out About Safety, How to Improve Your Written English and Mr. Koonan's Bargain.
Throughout her career, which included teaching art classes to children, she worked as a free-lance artist: her oil paintings represented various subjects from seashells and flowers to antique clocks, windows and Victorian architectural details. As a member of three professional artistic associations, she participated in dozens of regional juried exhibitions throughout New England and in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. She was the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Yankee Sagendorph Memorial Prize chosen by the Copley Society of Boston. Her works are represented in many private collections in the United States and Canada.
Carolyn was predeceased by her brothers, John Bentley and Howard Bentley.
She is survived by her sisters, Elizabeth Viering and Dorothy Grant, both of Noank; and her four nephews, Russell Viering of Noank, William Grant of Noank, Daniel Grant and his family of Arlington, Texas, and Peter Viering and his family of Stonington.
Funeral services will be private.
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