Homegoing services for Mrs. Mary Ella Carter Cureton of Tampa who passed away, on Tuesday, May 22, 2012, will be held on Saturday, June 2, 2012, 2:00 p.m. at 29th Street Church of Christ, 3310 N. 29th Street, with Brother Perry Johnson, officiating. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Mary Ella Carter Cureton was born to the late Willie and Inez Carter of Tampa, Florida, on September 26, 1923. She was the eldest of six children and was preceded in death by two brothers, Clarence Carter and Harold Carter. Mary graduated from the public schools of Hillsborough County. She moved to Jacksonville, FL., for nurse training at the Brewster Hospital of Nursing. She later moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to continue specialized training at the Philadelphia Women's Hospital School of Nursing. She later pursued additional nursing and medical training at the Community College of Philadelphia and Temple University. Mary accepted the Lord as her personal Savior at an early age and remained a faithful and dedicated member of the Church of Christ in Philadelphia and Tampa. She was married to the late Fred Douglas Cureton, a native of Union, South Carolina, for 27 years. During this union, a daughter, Gigail Helen Cureton, was born in 1961 in Philadelphia. For 25 years, Mary worked as an operating room nurse and surgical technician at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. This was her last place of employment prior to retirement. On December 21, 2004, after years of enjoying her retirement in Philadelphia, she moved back to Florida to be near her two children, Henry Issac Gyden and Gigail Helen Cureton. During her last years, Mary also provided care and comfort to her sister, Dorothy C. York. Mary loved talking to people and giving advice. Her mother wit and wisdom were among her most enduring qualities. She was a creative person who loved baking cakes, arts and crafts and sewing. However, Mary was best known for expressing her creative talent in ceramics, a hobby she perfected with her dear friend, Dorothy Dawkins, who preceded her in death. On May 22, 2012, the Lord called Mary home after a lengthy illness and hospitalization. Mary leaves to cherish her loving memories: children, Henry Gyden (Evelyn) of Tampa, Florida and Gigail Cureton of Washington, D.C.; brother, William Carter of Seat Pleasant, Maryland; sisters, Dorothy C. York of Tampa, Florida and Midred C. Jones of Lancaster California; aunt, Genevieve Smith of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; grandsons, Henry G. Gyden, Esq. and Adrian Gyden ( Antricia) of Tampa, Florida; great-granddaughter, Daesha Gyden of Tampa, Florida; great-grandson Arlen Gyden of Tampa, Florida; god-daughter, Patricia Dawkins of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, loving church family in Philadelphia and Tampa, and many women who claim Mary as a second mom. The viewing will be held on Friday, June 1, 2012 at Aikens Funeral Home Chapel from 5-8 p.m. Family and friends are asked to meet at the church at 1:45 p.m. for the services.