Lillian Elaine (Collins) Braden

Lillian Elaine (Collins) Braden, age 101, of Carmel, Indiana, entered into eternal rest on May 18, 2022. Elaine was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 10, 1921, and she grew up there, attending Western and Catonsville High Schools. In high school she played field hockey and basketball. During this time she was also employed by several businesses as a secretary. She would later continue her secretarial employment including serving at the US Army Finance Center in Indianapolis, and the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Elaine, in 1942, met handsome Bill Braden who was in the US Army training for overseas deployment in World War II. They married in 1943 and Bill was shortly thereafter shipped to the European Theater.  They would have one son and one daughter, Jay and Ellen.

Elaine was preceded in death by her mother Lillian, her stepfather Mike, her sister Virginia and her brother Rip.   Elaine is survived by son Jay and wife Joyce of Tampa, Florida; daughter Ellen Mitchell and husband Tom of Carmel; eight grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.

Elaine and family followed Bill – who was recalled to active duty for the Korean War - in his military assignments that included Fort Meade, Maryland; Tokyo, Japan; El Paso, Texas; and Indianapolis, Indiana. Following Bill’s retirement from the military they moved to Fairwinds on the Severn, a waterfront community in Maryland, just a short distance from the US Naval Academy.  They traveled regularly; to visit Jay, a soldier in Europe, and to journey with friends to places across the US and overseas. For about a seven year period they wintered in Melbourne, Florida. They also vacationed many summers in Ocean City, Maryland.

Elaine spoiled numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was a voracious reader, a regular at the Carmel Library who would often check out 6-8 mystery books at a time.  She loved gardening and tending to her plants.  Earlier in her life she took up golf and enjoyed playing the game alongside her husband.

When Bill passed away in 2003, she ultimately moved into Rosewalk, an Independent Living Facility not far from Ellen and her family. There she made many, many friends. A few years ago, after some falls, she moved to Green House Cottages, an Assisted Living Facility, where she was one of the “Elders” and was very much liked by the staff.

Elaine’s arrangements have been entrusted to the team at ARN Funeral and Cremations Services, Zionsville, Indiana.  Friends and relatives may leave a memory, a message of condolences, or sign the guest book at www.arnmortuary.com .

A Celebration of Life will be held at Green House Cottages, 616 Green House Way, Cottage 4, Carmel, IN 46032 on Monday, June 6, 2022 at 3 PM.

Elaine’s remains will be cremated and join those of her husband at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor the life of Lillian Elaine Braden may do so by making a donation in her name to the Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation.  Donation information may be found at www.carmelclaylibrary.org .