Gwen Carona

Gwen Provost Carona, 81, of Beaumont, died Thursday, February 15, 2018, at St, David’s Hospital-South, Austin. Mama was born on August 9, 1936 to O’Neil and Billie Provost in Port Arthur, Texas.  She was the oldest daughter and second child of ten in a close-knit family.  She treasured the love that she received from her grandmother, Mary Malvina Provost who lived with them and shared her faith in the Lord Jesus.   In 1955, she married the love of her life — her high school sweetheart, our dad.  Theirs has been a wonderful love story for over sixty-two years.  Mama’s prayer and dream to be blessed with children was answered.  Always positive and upbeat, she filled our home with laughter.

Whether living in Port Arthur, Baton Rouge, Clear Lake, Dallas, or Beaumont, she relished being with family and the friends she so easily made.  Mama became a part of each community, joining the Altar Society, Cursillo movement, Renew, and Bible Studies.  She was a fabulous gardener and loved nature.  Mom and Dad loved traveling and became birders which gave them many years of enjoyment. As a great cook, she taught all of her children and grandchildren how to cook and bake.  Making hundreds of pizzelles for St. Joseph’s Altars was an annual endeavor.  Her book of family recipes will be treasured by the generations to come.

Whatever she was interested in, whether needlework, cooking, art or nature, she studied it religiously.  She loved learning new things and was exceptionally well-read.  Her love for reading was passed on to her children and grandchildren. Every Wednesday, she took us all to Gates Memorial Library and encouraged us to find new authors and subjects.  Years later, she would take her grandchildren to the bookstore to introduce them to her beloved books.

A believer of Proverbs 22:6-8 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” Mama imparted her deep faith to all four of her children.  When she began bible study, her enthusiasm encouraged her children to take that journey.  As she dove deeper into the Word and her faith continued to grow, again she brought her adult children along.  She never compartmentalized her life.  Her spiritual life was so deeply imbued in her.  Mama was a great encourager to others. She had the gift of Godly counsel, and people naturally gravitated to her.  Many a time, we would come home to find a stranger sitting at the kitchen table, whom she had befriended and counseled.  Even in the last year of her life in a memory-care facility, she ministered to other residents and also the caregivers.

Mama is preceded in death by her parents, O’Neil and Billie Provost, and her brother David Provost, Sr. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 62 years, Joseph Donald Carona Sr. (Joe); her daughter, Brenda and husband Gerard Cascio; her son, Donnie and his wife, Cindy; her son, Michael; and daughter, Beth and her husband, Patton Drewett, Sr.

Nana will be missed dearly by her 12 grandchildren and their families, Audrey Cascio Craig, Elyse Cascio Rogers, Madelyn Cascio Jones, Rachel Carona Fishback, Jennifer Carona Phelan, Donnie Carona, Travis Carona, Nicholas Carona, Patton Drewett Jr, Walker Drewett, Hayes Drewett, and Malone Drewett, and ten great-grandchildren.  She is also survived by her siblings, Diane Drummond, Julie Provost, Paula Shaw, O’Neil Provost Jr, Giles Provost, Margo Pluta, Craig Provost and Toni Provost.

A gathering of Mrs. Carona’s family and friends will be from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., Monday, February 19, 2018, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m. Monday, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church, 6825 Gladys Avenue, Beaumont, with interment to follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park, Port Neches.

Contributions may be made in memory of Gwen Carona to The Dominican Sisters of Houston (online at www.domhou.org) or by mail Attn: Paula Porter, 6501 Almeda Road, Houston, Texas 77021-2095.

We are grateful to Silverado Bee Cave Memory Care Community for their loving care throughout the last year. Finally, our gracious Mama would want to thank her close friends and family, for filling her life with such joy and love.