Velma Goff

(From Ozark Funeral Home)

Velma Lorene Carman Goff, age 93, of Carthage, Missouri, formerly of Noel, Missouri, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri, after months of failing health. She entered this life on October 17, 1931, in Anderson, Missouri, born to the union of the late Roy and Hazel (Drake) Crosby.

Raised in the town of her birth, Velma attended local schools and grew into a woman of strength and character. She married Brooks Carman on February 3, 1948. The young couple ventured to Alaska, before returning home to McDonald County, Missouri, in 1969.

Velma's professional life was marked by her long-standing service at Hudson Foods in Noel, Missouri, from which she retired in 1996. As an attendee of the Church of God in Carthage, Missouri, Velma's faith was a guiding light, not only for her but for all who knew her.

Velma found joy in the simple pleasures of life. She was an avid gardner, homemaker and fisherwoman, often found by the water's edge, basking in the serenity of nature. Her hands were rarely still, as she created beautiful crocheted pieces that became treasured keepsakes for her loved ones. Velma's love for old gospel hymns brought her immense joy.

She is survived by her four children, Darrell Carman and his wife, Linda, of Meridian, Idaho; Beverly Baker of Carthage, Missouri; Rodd Carman of Noel, Missouri; and Michael Carman and his wife, Juli Davis, of Miami, Oklahoma. Her lineage includes twenty-five grandchildren, numerous great and great-great grandchildren; as well as a host of other family members and friends who were blessed to know her.

Velma's journey through life was marked by the love she shared and the lives she touched. She is preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, Brooks Carman, who passed away on March 20, 1979, and her second husband, Kenneth Goff, who passed in 2010. She also joins her two sons, Danny Ray Carman and Dennis Carman, and her sisters, Opal Thurman and Ruth Diabel, in eternal rest.

Funeral services are 2:00 p.m. Thursday, February 13, 2025 in the Anderson Chapel of the Ozark Funeral Homes with her eldest son, Darrell Carman officiating. Burial will follow at Neosho Memorial Park Cemetery. Those honoring her life by serving as pallbearers are Michael Carman, Darrell Carman, Rodd Carman, Derrek Carman, Mark Tosh, Nathan Schulzke, and Steve Carman, with Kerry Pennington Jr serving as an honorary pallbearer. The family will receive friends on Thursday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Arrangements are under the care of Ozark Funeral Home in Anderson, Missouri.