Jacksonville - We are taught as young children, to grieve for those we have lost, but by far the most meaningful part of this journey is celebrating lives that are long and bountiful!

Our Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, and (most of all!) Mimi, Evelyn Marie Carden, passed away peacefully, on 5/12/2025 in Houston, Texas at the age of 97, which she would be appalled to know we put in print. We were able to share time with her, in those last hours, reminding her of what a broad stroke of life she had created in us, how much love awaited her, lessons we had all learned, and the promise of continuity in the legacy she was leaving. She was born on February 15,1928 to Alice and Ira Milstead in Jacksonville, Texas, bringing them back to joy from grief after losing a son, Troy Rex, exactly 2 years prior. She was doted on, in every sense of the word and blossomed into quite the golden-haired beauty. Her sense of statuesque style was stunning and continued throughout her life.

Her first marriage produced two beautiful, blonde little girls, Pamela Ann (1947) and Sheila Lynn (1949), both of whom she loved dearly. Years later, she would welcome the birth of her granddaughter, Leisha Renee (1971), and great-granddaughters, Carian Lynée (1992) and Kyla Saree (1997). As grandparents normally do, she got substantially better with each generation, becoming the running buddy and confidante to her great-granddaughters, that would rival a Thelma and Louise episode. She was spicy and fearless, never giving in to pressure, (believe me!) which would stay true to the very end. As her body began to fail and her memory fade, the names of her great grand children could still bring a smile to her face, even in her days of confusion.

She would have certainly wanted us to write about how her early life journey took her from Texas to Pennsylvania, when she met the forever love of her life, Floyd H. Carden, whom she was married to for 43 years before his passing in 2010. Their journeys were eventful and took them from Pennsylvania to Beverly Hills, California, back to Houston, Texas, and eventually settling back to her native roots in Jacksonville, Texas in 1993. She loved to travel holding a particular fondness for Cozumel, Mexico, way before the cruise ships and trend setters made it famous. She and Floyd cultivated a life for themselves that they loved and that filled them with joy, extending from the glitz of Beverly Hills to the sweeping hills of Texas farmland in Jacksonville, Texas.

She was preceded in death by her loving and devoted husband Floyd Carden (2010) of 43 years, Father, Ira Milstead (1970), Mother, Alice Mae (1998) and brother Troy Rex (1926). She was also preceded in death by her daughter Pamela Ann Jacobs in 2024, two stepsons Mike (2009) Keith (2018) and step grandson Michael (2023). She leaves behind to celebrate her memory, daughter Sheila Jorgensen (Wayne), granddaughter Leisha Kempf (John), great granddaughters Carian Parker and Kyla Smalley, and stepdaughter in-law Carol Lambert, who was brave enough to be her traveling buddy on numerous occasions. Thankfully, those trips ended well, as did her life....adventurous, well lived and remembered by all.

Details of a Celebration of Life Gathering will be announced soon.