160104 January 4, 2016
"Lest We Forget"
Our Departed Classmates in 2015
Mike Gray
LHS '64
Sept 24, 1946 - Jan 17, 2015
Philip Julius Simpson
LHS '65
January 27, 1947 - February 17, 2015
Robert E. "Bobby" Cochran
LHS '64
1946 - 2015
Belinda Christian Colbert
LHS '66
Paula Linda Mitzner Burrow
LHS '65
Danny Michael Johnson
LHS '66
Linda Dianne Ralston Lashbrook
LHS '65
June 15, 1947 - Sept. 28, 2015
Jane Gale Thompson
LHS '64
July 21, 1946 – Oct. 26, 2015
Carol Jean Williams Carroll
LHS '65/'66
February 2, 1947 - December 25, 2015
Coach William Adolphus "Bill" Godsey
December 4, 1930 - March 21, 2015
Memories of Carol Jean
by Escoe German Beatty
LHS '65
December 29, 2015
My mother called Carol Jean her “movie star”. When she came into a room she lit it up with her personality and that big smile.
She always looked glamorous and could get away wearing things the rest of us would not have the courage to wear.
Only Carol Jean had that perfect ‘red’ hair and perfect makeup all the time but, it should have been perfect…she took longer to get ready than anyone I’ve ever known!!
Fun… she was so much fun… we usually all traveled together as a pack. Often strangers would comment on how much we seemed to enjoy each other and how much fun we were having.
Her laughter was contagious… I can hear it now. She would often entertain us with her incredible knowledge of anyone that was mentioned. She not only remembered the person but she could tell you about their family 3 generations back as well as their phone number in 1963. And it was amazing that in her childhood she had lived next door to almost every soul that ever lived in this city!
She was something else… truly one of a kind!
Over these 50 plus years of friendship we have shared birthday parties, trips to the lake, many lunches but the most memorable were the beach trips. She LOVED the beach.
15 years or so, after graduation Carol Jean, Becky, Alice, Sarajane and I made a most memorable trip to Panama City for a couple of days. Becky drove and we were all busy talking and listening. Becky could not concentrate on the driving and participate in the conversation so she slowed down significantly. It took us somewhere between 10 to 12 hours to get to the beach… but, we didn’t care!
Oh yes, I must mention… did you all know that Carol Jean never went anywhere without being prepared by bring everything she could think of that might be needed. She brought every kitchen appliance she owned from a coffee pot to a crock pot and Sara and I had to unpack and repack it all! Ironically we did not cook a thing!
Have you ever stopped to wonder why we all were so attracted to her and loved her so much? Yesterday I realized why.
We loved Carol Jean because she loved each of us first. Her love was all inclusive and unconditional. It is that same love, the agape love Jesus teaches us to have for each other.
Carol Jean will always have a small place in each of our hearts just as we filled that same space in hers.
She never complained about her condition and rarely talked about the pain, suffering and fear she endured.
Her strength and courage was a testimony to who she was. She chose not to let this miserable disease define her life.
She fought to enjoy life and to get out of it every ounce of happiness possible and in turn blessed each of our lives and made us all better people.
Dub, thank you for fighting these battles by her side. You made it possible for her to eke out as much joy as she could. You have been her protector and care giver when it has counted the most.
On Christmas day Jesus gave Carol Jean the best Christmas present ever. He gave to her what He promised… a new forever life with everlasting peace and joy and a beautiful new healthy body.
As long as any of us live and remember Carol Jean she will still be there present with us.
I often told her that she was my hero and I will say it just once more…”Honey, you will always be my hero.”
Memphis, TN - It has not been a good week for me. In the last five days I have attended two funerals – one for a dear friend and classmate from my early life at Lee High School, and the other a dear friend and colleague from my later days at the University of Memphis. I will miss them both.
I got to thinking about funerals and realize we never know what our own funeral will actually be like. Who will attend, where will it be, what will be said, or how will we be remembered? After the two this week, I can only hope my own is a combination of the two I attended. Carol Jean’s funeral echoed the love her friends had for her and the fond memories she has left us. My coworker’s funeral was full of kind words about what a great man he was and how professional he was in his life, his job, and how he interacted with such dignity and warm feelings with all he came in contact with.
Of course we all want to think that someday we will be remembered for something we did in our lives that made a difference in other people’s lives, but to me, if I had to choose between the two, I would rather be remembered as the friend to everyone and the personal times we spent together.
The Virtual Jukebox
Tommy Towery
LHS '64
This Week's Selections by
Chip Smoak
LHS '66
I offer three songs that were hits but were a little different than perhaps the main stream:
#1. This Old House by Rosemary Clooney
#2. The Ballad of the Alamo by Marty Robbins
3. El Paso by Marty Robbins
From Our Mailbox
Subject: Carol Jean
S. Dagnal Rowe
LHS '65
Carol Jean over the last 50(plus) years taught us all a lot about living , and now as she has completed a courageous fight has taught us how to die with strength, dignity , grace, and faith.
