Evelyn Ciulla, 82, artist, real estate broker

Evelyn Ciulla of Jackson Hole, Wyo., a former businesswoman and an artist, died Friday, July 13, at the Living Center in Jackson Hole. She was 82 years old and had lived in Ridgefield in the 1970s and ’80s.
A native of Arlington, Md., Ms. Ciulla was born on Aug. 16, 1918, a daughter of Austin and Frances Slate, and grew up in the Bronx, N.Y.
After her marriage in 1934 to Jack Ciulla, she lived in Westchester County and worked as a manager and window designer for L.A. Schulman, a bridal store in White Plains. She later became a real estate agent in Chappaqua, operating her own firm, Newcastle Realty, in the 1960s. She was also active in the Board of Realtors in Chappaqua.
Ms. Ciulla had also owned her own store, The Christmas Shop, in Katonah, N.Y., about 30 years ago.
In 1974, after she and her husband were divorced, Ms. Ciulla moved to Ridgefield, living at first at Casagmo and later at Ballard Green. She worked several years in real estate here, but eventually became a live-in companion for several elderly couples in Ridgefield.
An impressionist artist who specialized in still lifes, Ms. Ciulla was active in the Ridgefield Guild of Artists and had exhibited her work in the area. She was also active in the OWLS.
In 1988, Ms. Ciulla moved to Jackson Hole to be closer to her two sons who live there. She continued to paint and had shows of her work there.
She was a volunteer at a senior housing center in Jackson Hole.
“She was a very warm, caring, giving person — she’d give her last penny away,” said her daughter, Cathy Rodier of Bedford Village, N.Y. Although Ms. Ciulla had been in declining health for the past 12 years because of diabetes, “she was still able to help others in need without ever a complaint,” her daughter said.
Besides her daughter, her survivors include three sons: Jack Ciulla of Portland, Ore., Bob and Tom Ciulla of Jackson Hole; a sister: Eleanor Tomsen of Southbury; a brother: Wally Slate of Texas; and five grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, July 20, at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church, Route 22, in Bedford Village.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Always and Forever, Memorial and Honor Program, American Diabetes Assocation, PO Box 2680, North Canton, OH 44720.