Carmen Gonzalez was born in El Paso, July 16, 1955. She was the daughter of Isidro and Carmen (Payan) Gonzalez. Carmen attended Sul Ross State University in Alpine where in 1976 she met Cary who was a transfer student from SWTJC in Uvalde. She majored in Fine Arts which included photography. Cary and Carmen got married in Alpine between the spring session and first summer Session. Carmen worked at JC Penny's decorating windows while Cary went to graduate school in Geology and continued working for Penny's in Sugarland when she and Cary moved there. After trying for years to have a child, Cary and Carmen chose to adopt and Charlie joined them in 1989. Carmen changed jobs and worked for Unocal in their records department organizing well logs and seismic date while Cary continued to work for Sohio and later British Petroleum. Carmen was diagnosed with MS in 1997 after the family had moved to Lafayette Louisiana. They moved back to Katy and stayed there even as the MS advanced until Charlie graduated from high school. Then Cary and Carmen moved to Hondo where Dora and Diane helped Carmen at home while Cary continued to work to support the family. She succumbed to complications with MS on Saturday, January 4 and is now at peace. Carmen was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and aunt. Her favorite things in life were raising her son "Charlie Ray," shopping and bike riding. Carmen was preceded in death by her father Isidro. Survivors include her husband, Cary Calkins; son, Charlie Calkins, both of Hondo; mother, Carmen Gonzalez of College Station; sisters, Maria Alaniz and husband Joseph of El Paso and Rosie Gonzalez of College Station; brother, Antonio M. Gonzalez and wife Armida of Albuquerque NM; mother-in-law, Carol Calkins of Hondo. Visitation was Sunday, 5 to 7 p.m., at Guinn-Horger Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral service was Monday, Jan. 6, 2 p.m., at First United Methodist Church, followed by interment at Hondo Cemetery, Oakwood Section.