ARDITH LAVONE (MANELA) CRAIG CARROLL, 73, of Norman, Oklahoma, passed away at her home with her sons Jim and Joe by her side on Friday, March 16, 2012 after a battle with cancer.

Ardith was born July 12, 1938 in Argonia, Kansas to Benjamin Franklin and Edith (Smith) Manela. Her family moved to Clearwater, Kansas, where she graduated from Clearwater High School. She was baptized at the Clearwater Christian Church.

Ardith then went to work as a secretary for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Wichita, Kansas. She then met James R. Craig, Sr. and the couple married. They had two sons, Jim and Joe. After 17 years of marriage they parted as friends and Ardith moved to Fairfax, Oklahoma.

There, she met and married R.J. Carroll. The couple moved the Virgin Islands in 1989 where she survived Hurricane Hugo. In 1992, she moved to Norman, Oklahoma and in 1995 took a job selling real estate. A few years later she worked for Champ Oil where she retired from in 2004.

Ardith's last years were spent at home with her loving son, Jim and her dog. She enjoyed needlepoint, knitting and sewing.

Her family includes:
Her sons: Jim Craig and wife, Carla of Norman, Oklahoma; and Joe Craig and wife, Julie of Edmond, OK;
Her half sisters: Bonnie Johnson of Olathe, KS; and Janice Peterson of Springfield, MO; and
Her grandchildren: Nicole, Joseph, Elizabeth, Anna, Cody, Zach and Jessica.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Edith McDonald and her father, Benjamin Manela.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. at Miles Funeral Service in Winfield, Kansas. The family will greet friends prior to the service. Interment will follow at New Salem Cemetery.

A Memorial has been established in Ardith's name for the American Cancer Society. Contributions may be made through the funeral home.