Mary Alice Amber Caranna

Mary Alice Amber Caranna, age 91, a longtime resident of Gulfport, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2013, at Hospice Ministries in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 17, 2013, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., at RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 11280 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport, Mississippi. The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. in the funeral home's chapel, with burial in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens in Gulfport.
Ms. Caranna was born on August 2, 1921, in Wabash County, Indiana, to Jesse Robert and Lucy Ann Brannan Amber. She graduated from Urbana High School in 1939, where she was salutatorian of her class. She was a graduate of Manchester University (formerly Manchester College) in North Manchester, Indiana, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary education. She taught school briefly, then traveled to San Francisco to work one summer. There she met her future husband of 26 years, John Joseph Caranna. After marrying, they returned to Mr. Caranna's hometown of Gulfport, where they raised four children.
She taught business law, typing, and bookkeeping at Gulfport High School for 20 years. After retiring from teaching, she joined the Memorial Auxiliary at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport where she served for 20 years, and was later honored for earning over 9,000 hours of volunteer service.
A lifelong Methodist, she was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Gulfport. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, travel, and especially tending to her adopted stray cats.
After Hurricane Katrina damaged her home in Gulfport, she moved to Riggs Manor Retirement Community in Raymond, Mississippi, where she lived until June of 2012, when declining health forced her to move to Chadwick Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jackson, Mississippi.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by brothers, Paul Brannan Amber, Merle Freda Amber, Kenneth Franklin Amber, and John Samuel Amber, all of Wabash, Indiana. Survivors include sons, John Joseph Caranna, II, and James Philip Caranna (Elizabeth) all of Gulfport; Dennis Michael Caranna (Jane) of Brandon; daughter Cynthia Caranna Mason (Dr. Tom) of Biloxi; grandchildren, Dominic Joseph Caranna (Stephanie) of Pass Christian; Lisa Caranna Brown (Rhett) of Livermore, California; Amber Caranna Munden (Eric) of Raymond; Gregory Scott Mason and Patrick Thomas Mason, both of Biloxi; and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the Humane Society of South Mississippi, 2615 25th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501; or to Hospice Ministries, 450 Towne Center Boulevard, Ridgeland, MS 39157.
She will be sorely missed by many friends and relatives.
Please share your memories or express your condolences by signing the online guestbook at www.riemannfamily.com.