Evelyn Elizabeth Hurlbut

Evelyn E. (Carpenter) Perry Hurlbut, passed away on March 11, 2024 at her home in Walpole, Massachusetts, at the age of 98. Born and raised in Norwood, Massachusetts, she was the middle daughter of the late Edward Windsor and Helena (McEwan) Carpenter.  She was predeceased by her sisters, Dorothy "Dot" Murphy and Verna Rockwood.

Evelyn’s prodigious, lifelong work ethic was established when her father became ill and later passed.  She supported her family throughout high school working at Martin's Fabric Store in the center of Norwood.  She became an accomplished seamstress and professional curtain maker. Evelyn also worked a second job at the Norwood Theater in the location that still stands today.

After graduating from Norwood High School with the Class of 1943, Evelyn aided the war effort by working as an assembler at Mu-Switch in Canton.  While there, she met Charles Perry and together they would create their own business, Industrial Metal Products Co., Inc, (IMPCO) in an old carriage house on Railroad Avenue.

Evelyn and Charlie were married and welcomed five children, raising them in Dover.  As a result of their hard work, they purchased a plot of land in Lovell, Maine, built a vacation home where the family enjoyed many idyllic summers and snowy winters on Kezar Lake. Always generous, they brought friends and relatives along with them for skating and sliding on the lake, and in the summertime, swimming, canoeing expeditions, and days of picking blueberries. These were some of the very best times.

The family business continued to flourish, eventually moving to the old Tannery Building and then to Morse Street in Norwood. In a time when women’s roles running manufacturing businesses were rare, Evelyn took over the company in 1968, and served as the President for the next 52 years.  

In 1982, Evelyn built a new facility and moved the business to its current location in Sharon.  In 1997, she oversaw the re-branding of her company and re-named it inMetal.  Ever dedicated and hardworking, Evelyn continued to contribute and was an active part of the management of inMetal until her retirement in 2020, just shy of her 95^th birthday. Only a worldwide pandemic could stop her from returning to work at the company she fondly referred to as her “sixth child.”

Over the years, Evelyn had homes in Harwich, Brewster and Martin Downs in Palm City, Florida. At each new home she turned the soil for beautiful new gardens, and the birds she loved always followed. In her free time, she loved knitting for her grandchildren, all things to do with horticulture and could typically be found enjoying a book, sitting in her corner chair overlooking Kezar Lake, wondering if the loons would be out to call that night.

Loving mother of Ron B. Perry of Thailand, Gary W. Perry and his wife, Georgia, of Epsom, New Hampshire, Mark E. Perry and his wife, Chanmong, of Ban Dan, Thailand, Craig A. Perry and his wife, Lisa, of Walpole, and Susan L. Perry and her husband, Bruce Adams, of Madison, New Hampshire.

Cherished grandmother of Erin, Kate, Adam, Brett, Nathan, Chelsea, Colleen, Lindsey, Brendan, and Kristen; and great grandmother of Molly, Nikolai, Colin, Kiera, Cole, Bryn, Rory, and the late Rhys. Beloved “Auntie Evelyn” to many nieces and nephews, as well as several children from the old neighborhood.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend Evelyn's visitation on Friday, March 15th from 4 to 7 PM in the James H. Delaney & Son Funeral Home, 48 Common Street, Walpole.

Funeral service and interment in Maple Grove Cemetery in Walpole will take place privately at the request of Evelyn's family.

A Celebration of Evelyn’s life will be scheduled for a later date.

Memorial donations in Evelyn's name may be made to Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030 or by visiting https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/