Evalyn Marguerite Carter, nee Thomas, died December 27, 2018, at the age of 100. Evalyn was born to Eva and E. Leroy Thomas in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1918. An early brush with fame came as she walked to elementary school with Helen Gurley Brown. While The War of the Worlds was terrifying listeners in 1938, Evalyn was on a train to Los Angeles to spend a year seeing the sights. Her scene as an extra in Magnificent Obsession did not make the final edit. Back in Little Rock Evalyn went to work as a switchboard operator for the telephone company, eventually becoming a supervisor.

At the end of WWII, Evalyn married Hugh N. Carter in Los Angeles, moving to Fresno in 1956 with their two young children. Evalyn was active in Homan Elementary PTA. She and her best friend, Katherine Haley, were a fixture at the Wild Blue in the 80s whenever her son James’ band, The Clams, performed.

She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. People often commented on her Southern accent and gracious hospitality. Her last years were spent in the the loving community of Covenant Village of Turlock.

Evalyn was predeceased by her husband Hugh, brother Elford Thomas of Los Angeles, and sister Elizabeth Thomas of Seattle. She is survived by children Joel Carter of Denair, Janice (Michael) Holland of Santa Ana, James (Stephanie) Carter of San Antonio, and Mike and Chris Jensen of Clovis and Glenn Clark of Los Angeles; grandchildren Suzanne (Tab) Black of Colorado, Sarah Potter of Merced, Meghan (Ned) Meyers’s of Colorado, Elizabeth Holland of Santa Ana, and Geoffrey (Dinh) Holland of Seattle; great-grandchildren  Carson and Elle Potter, Thomas and Emily Black, and Maddie, Tyler, and Carter Holland,

Viewing will be held on January 10, from 5pm to 8pm at Farewell Funeral Home at 660 W Locust, Fresno. Graveside service is at Belmont Memorial Park January 11 at 11:00.