Evelyn Mary Cloninger

She was born April 7, 1918, in Barum, Norway, the only child of Ingvald Paulus Branden and Hansine Wettre Branden. She attended Nissen’s Girls’ School in Oslo, and later finished a 2 year associate degree from an Oslo business school. Until WW2, she worked in a business occupation for an independent film distributor in Oslo. During the war she met the love of her life, Lt. Clyde W. Cloninger on July 4, 1944, at an American army celebration. By war’s end they were engaged to be married.

Evelyn left Norway for the United States in 1946, and on June 28, 1946, Clyde and Evelyn were married in Little Rock, Arkansas. They moved to Houston shortly thereafter where their 2 sons were born, Jim in 1948, and Tom in 1951. Clyde’s career took the family to Beaumont in 1958, and Amarillo in 1960. As the family grew older, Evelyn was active in activities for the boys in school, scouting, and baseball. She valued education and encouraged academics and lifetime achievement for her sons. She was an accomplished bridge player and involved in bridge clubs all her life, earning life time master recognition. She was always socially active, making many friends in many neighborhoods, the Methodist Churches they attended, and bridge organizations.

She earned her real estate license in the late 1960's and began a successful career in Amarillo and Houston. In both of these locations she was awarded “Real Estate Salesperson of The Year.”

Evelyn is preceded in death by her beloved husband Clyde in 1992, and son Rev. Jim Branden Cloninger in 1996. She is survived by her son, Tom and his wife Sharon, Jim’s widow Jan, her granddaughter Sarah Howell and husband Kirk, granddaughter Beka Olsen and husband Scott, and great-grandchildren Sadie, Jim, Lucy, and Jake. Evelyn's family expanded well "beyond blood" and she is survived by many grand and great-grandchildren who knew and loved her as Grandma, including Lis, Jarrad, Ryder, Brandy, Skyler, Amon, Emma, Mya, Otis, River, Fox, Hank, Piper, and Luke, as well as her Norwegian cousins.

Special thanks to Westminster Health Care Memory Unit and Hospice Austin.

Visitation will be Friday, April 29, 2016, 5:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M., at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, Texas 78752. Graveside Service will be Saturday, April 30, 2016, 1:00 P.M., at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, 2800 Hancock Dr., Austin, Texas 78731. A Memorial Service will be Saturday, April 30, 2016, at 2:00 P.M., at St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2140 Allandale Rd., Austin, Texas 78756, with reception to follow.