Carole Mehrtens

Carole Mehrtens, 84, passed away peacefully on September 19, 2025, in Orange Park, Florida.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida on November 11th, 1940, she was the daughter of Clarence and Elizabeth King. Carole was a graduate of Robert E Lee High School (Class of 1958), and attended Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Carole was a member of the 1960 Jacksonville Debutante Coterie and a lifelong Jacksonville area resident.

Most important to Carole were travel, art, music, reading, and her family.

In the 1960's and 1970's, Carole was a homemaker focused on raising her 2 sons in the Greenwood Avenue neighborhood in Avondale. She eventually reinvented herself in her late 50's and began to follow her passion to become a full time painter, and establishing herself as a well known watercolorist in Jacksonville. Her paintings were on display at art shows all over town, at The Framing Establishment & Gallery on Hershell St, at The University of North Florida, the Mayo Clinic, and many other local businesses.

She spent the last 25 years of her life pursuing this love of art by painting the things she experienced around Jacksonville, and in her travels to the Rocky Mountains in Montana, the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina, and Europe.

Eventually she decided to pass her love for painting on to others, starting the Carole Mehrtens Art Studio in Ortega just one block from St. Marks Episcopal Church, right across the street from Carters Pharmacy. Many people learned to paint or improved their skills through Carol's classes, many of whom went on to become successful painters of all kinds.

Carole served as the Symphony Guild Coordinator from 1990-2001, and was passionate about fundraisers for the symphony, including the highly successful "Music for your Eyes", when 10 local artists created one-of-a-kind works on violins.

Carole is also an Honorary Board Member of the Jacksonville Artists Guild, which she helped form in 2009.

Carole is survived by her husband of 43 years, Nicolas Mehrtens, and her stepchildren Amanda and Nick Jr. She is also survived by her son Ted Abney, his wife Larae Abney, their 2 children Lindsey and Logan Abney, her son Michael Abney and his wife Kimberly, and their children Michael Abney III (Trey), Kacie, and Kendall, and her sister in law Ashley King.

She was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother, Wade King.

She also dearly valued her friendships, of which are too numerous to name, including so many students over the years who have commented to the family how much they loved her and her art classes.

Her family would like to thank some very special people who were dedicated and amazing to her as she battled dementia over the last few years. First, to her dedicated friends Barbara and Debbie who continued to visit her even during the toughest of times, and to our aunt Ashley King who was there for Mom in some of the most trying emergency crisis times. To the staff at Moosehaven, who always handled Mom with such great care. And a very special thank you to Johnetta McClain and her family, who became Mom's new "best friends" and who are some of the most gifted caregivers anyone could hope for. We are eternally grateful for your support and talents.

A small service will be held in the near future for family and close friends at the Mary Magdalene Chapel at St. Marks Episcopal Church, and Carole's ashes will be interred in the St. Marks Memorial Garden.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Jacksonville Symphony Guild, The Jacksonville Artists Guild, or the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.