Maria Del Carmen Chan    |    October 7, 1948 – August 2, 2021    |    Austin, Texas, USA

Maria Del Carmen Chan, formidable woman, devoted wife, loving mother, and the funniest abuela, took her place among the stars on August 2, 2021.

Carmen was undeniably beautiful, glamorous in her heyday, always dressed to the nines, cada detalle en punto. She was highly intuitive, seeing people for who they were and never judging a book by its cover. She was constantly learning, returning to work after becoming a mother, to study nursing, attend business school and even returning to college for additional certifications in 2006, at the ripe age of 58.

Orphaned as a young child in Spain, Mari-Carmen, as she was called, wanted nothing more in her life than to have a family of her own. She dreamed of feeling love, knowing love and giving love in the way that she had not yet experienced for herself. She was a devout follower of God and a loyal Christian, knowing from an early age that she would always be protected and guided by her faith.

Carmen was very determined and ambitious from the start. Graduating from college, she left Spain to start a new life in England. It was not long after her arrival that she met her future husband on a tennis court - Wintom Chan (72), a transplant from Hong Kong studying nursing in the same hospital in which she worked. They started their life together, merging cultures and histories, while writing their love story, exploring the world and starting a family. After having children, they immigrated to America, from Little Rock to Dallas to Austin, sharing more than 50 years together and 43 years of marriage.

Becoming a mother was both Carmen’s greatest joy and greatest challenge. She took considerable pride in her son, David Gavin (40), and her daughter, Ann Marie (38), urging them to focus on their education and to know the difference between right and wrong. As the years passed, she prayed that God would help her to be a good mother, knowing that her children, too, deserved the unconditional love that she never had.

In June of 2012, while gardening outside, Carmen suffered a heart attack that left her worse for wear, but she was granted a second chance. A chance to build a relationship with her new son-in-law, Richard Tufton (41), with whom she shared a special bond. And a chance to watch her beautiful grandchildren blossom into the cheekiest monkeys, Tilly Margarette (5) and her namesake, Oscar Nicholas (3). 

Carmen loved many and was loved in return. She traveled the world, spending much time with her friends and extended family members in England, Spain and Hong Kong. We know that Carmen will always be with us, reminding us that our choice to love others is a tremendous privilege, longing for us to live each day with intention, willing us to celebrate all of our cultural differences and reminding us that second chances, and thirds and fourths, may just be life’s greatest gifts.

Carmen's immediate family will hold a private memorial service at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church on Saturday, September 4, 2021. Please join us in prayer on this day.

In lieu of flowers, the family are accepting donations to build Maria Carmen’s Memorial Garden, a space for loved ones to reflect and carry on Carmen’s favorite hobby of gardening. There will be a Celebration of Life with friends and family in due course to inaugurate the Garden.

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