Ila Jean Carothers

Ila Jean Carothers was born Sept. 12, 1938, in San Angelo, Texas to Homer Ray & Bell Boyer. She passed away Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Waco, Texas. Services will be 1:00 pm, Thursday, June 11, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Chapel. Burial will follow at Waco Memorial Park. Visitation will be Wednesday, June 10, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. After her first two years of school, the family moved to Eldorado, Texas. She was an honor student in Eldorado High School graduating in 1956. She attended Abilene Christian College while working at West Texas Utilities part time. It was there she met Jony (M. E. Carothers, Jr.) who was attending Hardin Simmons University in Abilene. They became friends and later married on March 3, 1961. In May 1961 they both graduated from their respective colleges on the same day; one a morning ceremony and the other was held at night.

Their son, Kenneth Alan, was born in Abilene in 1962. In 1964 they moved to Waco where Jon began a lifelong career with Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Co. When Ken began school, Ila Jean began her career with a 20-year employment with Central Texas Iron Works until new owners closed the local office. She was also employed by Waco Construction and D&E Builders in the following 7 years.

Ila Jean enjoyed many years in the garden club, being a master flower show judge and a Texas Master Gardener. She was a member of the first class held in Waco in 1996 and was frequently quoted in the paper regarding gardening subjects. She was also President of the Texas Master Gardeners one year. The Carothers built a home for their retirement years where they had plenty of room to build raised beds where she gardened and grew vegetables, donating many pounds of produce to the Caritas food bank. She would tell you “I don’t like to cook but I love to grow the plants”.

Preceded in death by parents, H. Ray and Bell Boyer of Eldorado, her husband, Jon, of Waco, her brother, Larry Boyer of Eldorado and sister-in-law, Paula Boyer of Eldorado.

She is survived by her son, Ken Carothers and wife, Angela of Waco, granddaughter Adriana Batista of Waco, brother Danny Boyer and fiancé, Hollie Childers of Eldorado, sister-in-law, Marion Boyer of San Angelo, cousins, Donna Beth McCormick of Austin and Mack Stevenson of Waco as well as several other cousins, nieces, great-nieces and great nephews. Thank you to Arbor House and Arbor Gardens for their care of Ila Jean in her final years.