Gary Michael "Mike" Carnley, 79, Orange

Gary Michael “Mike” Carnley, 79, of Orange, passed away on January 24, 2023, at St. Elizabeth in Beaumont.

Born in Houston, Texas, on December 16, 1943, he was the son of David S. Carnley and Mildred Ellis Alborn. Mike was a lifelong resident of Orange and graduated from Little Cypress Mauriceville High School in 1962. After high school, he attended Lamar University and then joined the United States Navy where he served from 1965-1968 and was a Vietnam Veteran. He then began a career at BFGoodrich, which later became Bayer Corporation, where he worked as an Environmental Assistant for over 30 years. Mike was an outdoorsman and loved the mountains. He made many memories with his family camping in the mountains of New Mexico and Colorado, where he enjoyed elk hunting with his sons and cousins. Mike’s special place was his deer lease; he spent his entire life roaming those woods on foot or on four-wheeler. He was a very kind and gentle man who could build and repair anything he got his hands on, including his log home, which he built himself. Mike enjoyed being able to spend time on the water and would sail for days on lake Sam Rayburn. He was a longtime member of 9th and Elm Church of Christ in Orange, where he formed many warm and loving friendships to last a lifetime. Mike lived a wonderful life and will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

He is preceded in death by his mother and stepfather Mildred Ellis Alborn and Charles; father and stepmother, David S. Carnley and Lucille; sister, Deborah Rawls; mother and father-in-law, Ollie and Clyde Thrailkill; and niece, Denise Carnley.

He is survived by his loving wife of over 48 years, Frances L. Carnley; sons, Jared Carnley and wife Laine of Montgomery,Tx, and Gary Carnley of Orange; grandchildren, Cody Carnley of Tempe, Arizona, and Ollie Carnley of Montgomery, Tx; siblings, David Carnley and wife Nancy of Newton, Tx, Mary West of Orange, and Susie McKay and husband Mark of Aiken, South Carolina; along with numerous nieces, nephews and other loving friends and family, especially his cousin, Darrell Rennick, whom he thought of as a son.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/, and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation at https://www.parkinson.org/.

Cremation will be under the direction of Claybar Funeral Home.