Carmen L. Anders, age 87, passed away peacefully Thursday, February 15, 2018, in the caring embrace of her family and the staff of Minnie House at Reflection Living, in Wichita, KS. Born February 13, 1931 to Ralph and Gertrude Coen in Garden City, KS, the seventh and youngest child, she was adored and doted upon but never spoiled. Growing up surrounded by older brothers and male cousins she was a bit of a tomboy, as celebrated in poetry by her cousin Carl Coen. After graduating from Garden City High school, she left home to attend college at Kansas State University, where she met her future husband James E Anders. Married July 26, 1951 in Manhattan KS, they lived in Lawton, OK for a time before settling in Wichita, KS where Jim began a career as a high school science teacher and Carmen celebrated life as homemaker and mother to their three children. Her children were blessed by her generosity, patience, and self-sacrifice. Time in the summers was spent at her ancestral home with grandparents, uncles and cousins in Garden City, learning about bees in the family apiary and working (playing?) in the affectionately named “honey house”. Over the decades, while Jim was busy serving as sponsor to South High School’s Explorer Post and working a third job as flight instructor, Carmen not only managed the household but also maintained their rental properties and kept the books. Somehow, she still found time to watch out for older neighbors and to care for Jim’s mother after she moved into the house next door. In later years, after the kids were grown and gone, always the caregiver, she cared in turn for her widowed mother and her oldest brother in their final years. She suffered through Jim’s diagnosis and untimely death by cancer. Through it all she maintained her equanimity and sense of humor. Still spry and energetic well into her 70s, her children to their great consternation might catch her on her roof inspecting the shingles or chimney pointing. She remained in the home that she and Jim made even after slowed by a stroke, sharing it with her beloved sister June, until the final years when the stroke’s after effects forced their move into assisted living. She is survived by her sister, Patricia June Harrison; children, David, Paul, and Tami; four grandchildren, Dylan and Jeht Harris, and Kelsey and Torin Anders; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family wishes to express their appreciation to the staff at Reflection Living and the staff of Phoenix Hospice. Memorial Service: 11 am, Sunday, February 18, 2018 at Culbertson-Smith Mortuary, 115 S. Seneca, Wichita, KS 67213. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Phoenix Home Care & Hospice, 3450 N. Rock Rd., Building 200 S-213, Wichita, KS 67226.