Evelyn J. (Craig) Mc Carren

Known as Saint Evelyn long before it became official, Evelyn Craig McCarren was 92 when she was formally promoted on March 31, 2020 after a very brief illness.  She loved the Green Bay Packers, crunchy Cheetos, Facebook, clean snow, and slot machines.  Mom was famous for her potato salad, lime Jello, English muffin pizza and pineapple upsidedown cake.  She was a late-in-life fashion icon, gardener and home decorator.   She was self-taught in high finance and budgeting, and her bill-paying procedures involved a secret envelope and magic incantations. Mom had an impatient streak and “whenever you get a chance” was actually secret code for right now.  She mentioned on more than one occasion that she didn’t like her mispronunciations corrected, a fact that put her at occasional odds with her know-it-all kids.  She had a wonderful sense of humor and a forgiving heart, attributes that surely helped with the big work of raising 6 kids with her late husband of 54 years, Larry.                                         
Mom had a high tolerance for the chaos that shadows a large family, and she was the only mother in the neighborhood to allow a pet rabbit in the living room and a duck in the bathtub.  She worked for 25 years as the police dispatcher, a career that was perfect for her endless curiosity about human foibles.   Mom had a deep sense of religion and was a lifelong churchgoer, but she also thought a few extra nudges in God’s direction couldn’t hurt.  She sometimes bartered and had a long list of Novena causes; her relationship with God was up close and personal. 
Mom’s greatest joy was family, and she is survived and deeply missed by her children Lynne (Bob) Hostetter, Kathy (Jim) Capone, Larry (Becky) McCarren, Barbara Goodrich, Eileen (Scott) Levy and Paul (Sue) McCarren; grandchildren Rachel, Michael, Sam, Lucy, Meghann, Marie, Amy, Allison, Elizabeth, Andrew, Erin, Elise and Julia, each of whom was her favorite; great grandchildren Ginger, Zeke, Jolee, Nori, Evie, Finn, Declan, Thayer, Daxton, Ethan, Oliver, Owen, Charlie and Wren, each of whom was the cutest, and almost everybody who crossed her path.  She’s predeceased and greeted by her loving husband Larry, favorite sister Eileen, dear friend Dorothy, and extended Reuter, Ulbrich, Baldwin and Cull families.  A memorial Mass and celebration of her extraordinary life will be held at a later date. 
For updated information or to express your condolences, please visit www.lain-sullivan.com.  Arrangements entrusted to Lain-Sullivan Funeral Home 50 Westwood Drive, Park Forest, IL or call 708-747-3700.