Kendall Smith Carson

Kendall Smith Carson 2/9/79~10/31/02  Kendall Smith Carson, 23, died October 31 in a tragic accident in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, during an excursion with fellow students from the University of Barcelona, Spain. Kendall was taking advanced courses in Spanish language and literature in a study-abroad program while pursuing a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish at the University of Utah. He entered the University of Utah in the fall of 1997, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.  Kendall interrupted his studies in 1999 and served for two years as a missionary in Panama for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He rose to become Assistant to the President, the top missionary leadership position. Afterward, at his request, he completed his service among the Kuna Indians in the San Blas Islands. During his missionary service, Kendall developed an outstanding facility with the Spanish language and the Kuna dialect. He respected and loved the Kuna culture, and learned to play their hand-made flutes while performing traditional dances.  When he completed his service on the island of Ustupu, hundreds of Kuna tribespeople attended a farewell dinner and came to the dock for hugs and good-byes. More than 200 fellow missionaries were present at Kendall's formal missionary release in Panama City, Panama, on September 18, 2001. He played a Kuna melody on the traditional flute. He then spoke with humor and poignancy in Spanish and Kuna about the challenges and joys of his service, as well as his love and commitment to his family and Church. Kendall's ease with Spanish and love of everything Latin arose in part from frequent visits to the Dominican Republic and the Casa de Campo Resort where his family is affiliated. In the Bahamas and in the swells off Reef Road in Palm Beach, he learned to love everything about the ocean, especially surfing and diving. He loved crossing the Gulf Stream in his family's boat. A favorite family memory is once interrupting a voyage for Kendall to snorkel into a school of pilot whales to see what they looked like up close. He liked to roller blade on top of the Flagler Drive seawall. He also loved snowboarding in Utah and hiking, camping, rappelling and rafting in the mountains, canyons and deserts of the Southwest. Kendall enjoyed acting and appeared frequently in school plays at the Palm Beach Day School, where he graduated in 1994, and at Olympus High School in Salt Lake City, where he graduated in 1997. He also attended Saint Andrews School in Boca Raton and the Benjamin School in North Palm Beach. Kendall had a variety of jobs growing up, including the Boys Club in Palm Beach, the Steele, Hector & Davis law firm and the Snowbird Ski Resort. Most recently he worked for the Public Concepts political consulting firm on legislative campaigns throughout Florida, in particular the Manatee County campaign of Bill Galvano. Kendall is survived by his parents, Kathleen Smith Carson of Boca Raton and Donald W. Carson of West Palm Beach; two brothers, Brandon David and Evan Michael; four sisters, Adrienne Carson Arp, Kathleen Louise, Elizabeth Newberry and Emma Caroline. He is survived also by both grandmothers, Mary Rivers Smith of Helena, Montana and Janie Thompson Carson of Mount Olive, N.C. Kendall's mother has two brothers and a sister, his father has two sisters and Kendall has 28 first cousins. The family will receive friends on Thursday, November 7, 2002 from 4:00 until 9:00 P.M. at Quattlebaum-Holleman-Burse Funeral Home, 1201 South Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach, Florida, 33401. The funeral will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, November 8, 2002 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1530 West Camino Real, Boca Raton, Florida. The burial will take place immediately following the funeral at Woodlawn Cemetery, 1301 South Dixie Highway, in West Palm Beach. We invite you to visit, sign Kendall's Remembrance Registry guest book, and share a memory at the website of www.Quattlebaum.org