Carmon Elaine Koonce

1940 - 2024

ODESSA Carmon Elaine Koonce, 84, of Odessa went to be with our Lord on November 10, 2024, after a brief illness.

Carmon was born in Waco, TX, on March 22, 1940, to the late C.W. Pruett and the late Clara Garrison. She graduated from Odessa High School in 1959. She met the love of her life, Don B. Koonce in Odessa, and they were married on March 9, 1962. They were happily married until his death in October 2015. They spent 53 wonderful years together, and she missed him every single day since his passing.

Carmon was a homemaker and raised her two children lovingly. She taught them to love the Lord. She was very strong in her faith and was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ. She attended Sixth and Jackson Church of Christ for almost 40 years, and for the past 15 years, she has been an active member of the Sherwood Church of Christ.

Carmon was a member of the Contemporary Study Club of Odessa for 50 plus years. She served on many committees and was President for several terms. She has many lifelong friends from her long-time affiliation with these wonderful women. She left an indelible impact and continued to have passion for her "Study Club work" until the day she passed.

Carmon was an amazing seamstress. She was so happy when she was in her sewing room. She would spend hours in that room as she carefully planned and crafted amazing clothing. She would wear her creations, and people would stop and ask her where she got them. She was proud to always reply, "I made them."

Carmon was always up to date with the latest fashion, hairstyles, jewelry, and accessories. People of all ages would ask her for fashion advice. She was always dressed beautifully and left the house looking perfect even if she were just going to the grocery store. She fancied animal prints of all kinds, but she was particularly drawn to cheetah print. She could always be found sporting a cheetah scarf or belt. There was never a day, even if she were feeling ill, that she would not wake up, get dressed, and fix herself up.

Carmon never met a stranger. She made friends wherever she went. She touched so many lives during her stay here on earth. She would stop strangers and tell them how nice they looked. She could strike up a conversation with anyone at any time. She was genuine in her interest in others. There are so many people who will miss her smiling face, including people at the bank, the grocery store, the mall, her neighbors, and even people she would meet on the street. She made everyone around her feel special.

Carmon was blessed with seven grandchildren. She was happiest when she was with them. She would speak of them often, and she was so very proud of all of them. She was known to them as "Nonie." She would spend countless hours texting them or commenting on their social media posts. She would show their pictures to anyone who was willing to look. She would sing to them "You Are My Sunshine" at every opportunity. She was truly their "Sunshine."

She is survived by her two children, Larry and his wife Suzanne, Shannon Turnbow and her husband Steven; grandchildren Christopher, John, and Kayla Koonce; Sophie, Seth and Shelby Rivas; and Spur Turnbow; and her brother David Pruett and his wife Cheryl.

She was preceded in death by her husband Don B., her father C.W. Pruett, and her mother Clara Garrison.

She also left behind many friends that were as close as family who will miss her very much.

Her services will be at 10 a.m., Saturday November 16th at Sherwood Church of Christ in Odessa. Graveside services at Sunset Memorial will follow. The family would like for attendees to wear cheetah print in her honor.

Her pallbearers will be Larry Koonce, Christopher Koonce, John Koonce, Steven Turnbow, Seth Rivas, and Spur Turnbow.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes you to consider making a memorial donation to the Sherwood Church of Christ. Her relationship with God and her church family was very special to her.

The family wishes to thank all the doctors, nurses, and ancillary staff at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock who cared for Carmon during her brief illness. The care she received was beyond measure. Special thanks go out to Dr. Dennis Eastman, Dr. Jack Shannon, Dr. Madiha Yazdani, Dr. Greg Miller, Dr. Dennis Duriex, Dr. Larry Warmoth, Dr. Mark Johnson, Dr. Kyler Barkley, Dr. Andrew Shakespeare, and Dr. Brian Williams for their amazing compassionate care. They would also like to thank some special nurses who spent countless hours making sure she had the best care: Jacob Zarazua, Meagan Chambers, Landry Griffith, and Randy Strange.