Carmon Koile

Carmon Koile passed away peacefully on Sunday April 5, 2020 at her home in Austin with her son by her side. She was just shy of her 94th birthday. Carmon was born in Pine Forest, Hopkins County, Texas, to Joe Duncan Crowder and Brooksie Ellender Henley. Along with her four siblings, she grew up on a farm picking cotton and milking cows. They would take the horse and buggy to their local church each Sunday where their father was a deacon. Her brother, Leo, worked several jobs to put both her and her beloved sister, Eva, through college at Texas State College for Women (now known as Texas Woman’s University) where Carmon earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She had a lifelong enthusiasm for sports, which was fostered by her athleticism—playing basketball, volleyball, and baseball in high school and college.

Carmon met her husband, Earl, at her first job interview, which ended in a dinner date and an engagement six weeks later. They were married for 65 years until Earl sadly passed away in 2013. Carmon was very much a Southern lady—gracious, caring, industrious, tough, and quietly stubborn. Her sewing skills were legendary, and her repertoire included making curtains, formal dresses, and tailored suits for Earl. Carmon was a superb cook, and there were always cookies, cakes, and pies (if not all three) on the kitchen counter.

Betty, a lifelong friend, recalls Carmon as having a “world of friends,” many of whom had joined the same two University Ladies Club groups: Bowling League and Bridge Group. Carmon joined these groups in 1958 when Earl became a faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin. As the 1960s came to a close, the “Bridge Ladies” did a lot less smoking and drinking, but they still had a great time. Carmon remained friends with many of her bowling and bridge friends for more than 60 years.

Carmon was a die-hard Texas Longhorn fan, often attending football games with Earl or Lady Longhorn basketball games with her friends. On game days, Carmon would sport one of her many Texas sweatshirts and faithfully hang her Longhorn flag in the front yard.

She was a devoted mother and grandmother and passed many of her wonderful traits on to her three grandchildren. Her grandson, Michael, has perfected her signature chocolate cake, adapting it for a campfire oven, while her Australian granddaughters, Madeline and Johanna, inherited a love of all things Southern.

Carmon is survived by her three children and their families—Kimberle Koile, husband John Aspinall, and son Michael of Lexington, Massachusetts; Kristen Koile Wells, husband Doug Wells, and daughters Madeline and Johanna of Melbourne, Australia; and Stephen Koile of Austin.

She was deeply loved and will be forever missed.