Anna Jo Evans Carratello

Anna Jo Evans Carratello., born and raised in Sumter, SC passed away peacefully Sunday, December 11,2016. Anna had a strong will to live, surviving a late-life debilitating stroke with grace and optimism. She was 92.

After graduation from high school in Asheville, NC, she worked with the Veterans Hospital there, and during WW II, Anna met her future husband, Philip F. Carratello at a USO dance. When he returned from Germany after the war, they married and settled in Greensboro. Anna worked as a secretary a few years until her first son Michael was born. In order to be with her children, she changed directions and went to work in the Florida Street Baptist Church Nursery, taking care of her own and 40-50 more children. She was asked to become Director of the Church Nursery and held that position several years until it was closed. Establishing her own business, she and her mother, Mrs. Mary Alice Evans bought two adjacent neighborhood houses and equipped them with toys, arts and crafts, story books, musical instruments and playground equipment for their new Glenwood Day Nursery. They and the staff “raised” many children there from baby-hood thru elementary school and remained friends with them and their parents long after.

In her third career, Anna worked in the service of Guilford County with DSS, and in the offices of the County Manager and the County Architect where she developed many friendships. She was empathetic and helpful and many people sought out her thoughtful and logical objective opinion, seeing all sides. Retiring in 1989k she happily stayed home with Phil, her husband of 58 years, gardening together and staying abreast of local and national politics.

Anna was preceded in death by her parents, Tracy Evans, Sr. and Mary Alice, husband Philip and her grandson Alex. Surviving are her children; Phyllis Jordon of Roswell , GA and Mike Carratello (Pat) and Scottie Carratello (Rick), wonderful granddaughters, Jenny, Rosie and Olivia Carratello and her loving brother whom she adored, Tracy Spencer Evans, Jr. (Edna) and nieces and nephews from Virginia and New Jersey. Anna had a loving extended family of half brothers and sisters from upstate New York; Sara Ann, Violet, Harvey, Dot, John, Ronnie, Marion, Kathy, and Serena. She leaves behind her loving friend and companion, Charm Fluker.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, 12:00 noon at Hanes Lineberry Sedgefield Chapel with burial to follow at Guilford Memorial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the funeral home.