Evansteen C. Carroll

Mrs. Evansteen Marie Clifton Carroll (87) received her angel wings and entered eternal rest on Monday, December 18, 2023, after a lengthy illness. Evansteen, the eighth of thirteen children was born on April 27, 1936, to the late Rev. Floyd and Cora Clifton in Franklinton, NC. She was the first of her siblings to graduate from high school. She graduated from Gethsemane High School and attended Deshazor’s Beauty College in Durham, NC. After graduation, she owned her own beauty salon for a few years. But times were hard and in 1956, with older sisters; Christiana and Ann Lou already living in Rhode Island, she moved to Providence, RI in hopes of finding a better opportunity in the hairdressing industry. Knowing she had to find a church home, she joined Bethel AME Church in 1957 in Providence. It was there she met and later married the late Gabriel A. Carroll. From this union, they had three daughters: Yvonne, Brenda, and Stephanie. Evansteen loved God, Family, Church, and Community and she centered her life on these loves. She was a strong believer in Jesus Christ and raised her girls to believe in the Lord as well. Her love for the Lord was exhibited through being a very active member in the church. She held positions on several boards including the Trustee Board, Lay Organization, Women’s Missionary Society, Christian Education Board, Usher Board, Department of Evangelism, and Director and Advisory of the YPD. She received many AME Conference awards for being an excellent servant leader. She loved the youth and wanted to make sure that the youth stayed on the straight and narrow road. Evansteen, affectionately called, ‘Ma’, ‘Momma’, ‘Tina’, ‘Grandma’, ‘GiGi Ma’, ‘Aunt Teen’, and ‘Aunty’, loved her family. After working in the hairdressing industry, Evansteen switched careers and became a certified nursing assistant (CNA). She was employed by the Veterans Administration Medical Center for 33 years and retired in August 2003. While working and raising her girls, she made sure that they had very active lives in school, church, Masonic drill team, community, and dance. Once they became adults, she made sure that she stayed engaged and active in their lives by being at every major event and milestone. She coordinated family picnics, cook-outs, church events, birthday and graduation parties, wedding receptions, bus trips to North Carolina, and gospel concerts in Rhode Island, featuring her family and extended family from North Carolina. Once she retired, she was always available to take family members to their doctor’s appointments or run errands. She was an excellent cook and loved to do it. Everyone looked forward to her holiday and Sunday meals with homemade biscuits, cakes, and pies. She would cook and feed anyone and everyone, especially the African American medical residents at the VA Hospital from Brown University. In addition to loving God, and loving her family, she loved her community. She volunteered at various soup kitchens in the community and could always be found visiting the sick and the shut-in with a meal or a cake. She was a member of the Masonic family for over 40 years, as a member of the Daughter of Isis and the Order of Eastern Star. Because of her profession, she participated in many community health fairs and volunteered at the nursing stations at Masonic conferences, parades, and events. In October 2015, after 59 years of living in Rhode Island, she and Yvonne moved to Alexandria, Virginia to be closer to her daughter Stephanie after a major health event. Her daughters selflessly took loving care of her until the end. She immediately joined First AME Church of Alexandria in Alexandria, Virginia, where she was welcomed with open arms. In October 2022, she, Stephanie, and Yvonne moved to Kissimmee, Florida to be in a warmer climate. After a lengthy illness, she peacefully transitioned at her home to be in the loving arms of our Lord and Savior on Monday, December 18, 2023, with Yvonne, Stephanie, and her niece Darlene by her side. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, her sisters Christiana Brooks, Ann Lou Montague, Minnie Harris, Flora Lee Crudup, Ruth Isaac, Corrine Mann, and Petrola Clifton Fowler, and her brothers, Joe, Nehemiah, and Richard Clifton. She leaves to cherish her memory her devoted daughters: Yvonne M. Powell of Kissimmee, FL, Brenda R. Carroll of Charlotte, NC, and Stephanie B. Carroll of Kissimmee, FL. Her grandchildren: Teshonne N. Powell of Brooklyn, NY, and Virlyn (VJ) Powell, Jr. of Providence, RI. Her great grandchildren: Gianna, Ken’Dell, and Nyla. Her brother Salathiel (Linda) Clifton, her sister Jessie Mae (Clarence) Buffalo, her sister-in-law, Janie Clifton, and her very close friend, Eva Smith. Her special caretakers: Louann Bradley, Darlene Rollins, Robin Guerra, Tiereney Clifton, Karen Simms, Mel Haines, Sandy Gansham, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Tributes

Evansteen C. Carroll

April 16, 1936 - December 18, 2023