Carmen Louisa Mercado Banks of Dallas, Texas, died peacefully on July 4, 2023, at the age of 79. Born on October 20, 1943, in Austin, Texas, she was the daughter of Maria Rojas Mercado and Louis Mercado.

Banks graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School before beginning her higher education at Southwestern University with interests in art and pre-medical studies. She later transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, where she continued her academic pursuits. On November 20, 1965, she married Don E. Banks, and the couple started their life together in Houston, Texas. They had two children, Robyn and Brian, before relocating to Dallas in 1970.

After her children began school, Banks earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Southern Methodist University in 1978. She worked as a graphic designer for IBM and Xerox until 1985. She then shifted her focus to community service, working with the STEP Foundation for two years. Banks spent the remainder of her career as a medical illustrator at Baylor College of Dentistry, retiring in 2003.

Known for her dedication to helping others, Banks was actively involved in volunteer work with organizations such as White Rock United Methodist Church, Doctors Hospital, the Stewpot Homeless Shelter, and For the Love of the Lake. A lifelong lover of music, she played piano and flute from a young age and sang in the church Chancel Choir, as well as playing the Native American flute. Her diverse artistic interests included paper crafts, pottery, photography, stained glass, jewelry making, and rubber stamping.

Banks is survived by her husband Don E. Banks, her children Brian Banks and Robyn Lawrance, and her grandson Oscar Elliott Lawrance. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her cherished pets, Ben and Cleo Sheeler.

A funeral service is scheduled for July 14 at White Rock United Methodist Church in Dallas, with viewing beginning at 5 p.m. and the service at 6 p.m. Burial will follow on July 17 at Balanco Cemetery in Blanco, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Stewpot homeless shelter, Doctors Without Borders, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, all causes that were important to Banks.