A Fond Farewell

Carol Smith was an extraordinary lady in ALL respects.  She was a terrific teacher, unbelievable wife/mother/grandmother and a person who was admired by all.  After a nearly three year battle with cancer, Carol passed away this past Monday, Oct. 15th.  She was laid to rest today with her family and friends fondly remembering her impact on one and all.

Carol had a significant impact on Schools Count, often making donations of clothing and funds.  When she was well, Carol would come over to the house and help us load trucks bound for New Orleans. 

I vividly recall a time four years ago when Carol and her son, Kurt, loaded student supplies.  Well, as fate would have it, all the trucks were loaded by lunchtime with the skids of supplies.  But the big job remained after lunch...we had to load two trucks with weightlifting equipment!

By that time everyone had to head for home.  Okay, now we are down to Dawn, myself, Kurt and - you guessed it - Carol who have to load dumbbells, heavy weights, benches, and other materials.  Now, that job would be bad enough with a large group but we were down to four workers.  What made matters worse was the fact that it started pouring!!!!

Not to worry, said Carol, she and Kurt would stay the entire afternoon and help load every single piece of weightlifting equipment and that's just what they did.   And they did it with a smile of their faces.

This pretty much exemplifies Carol; always wearing a smile, pitching in on the tough tasks, being able to be counted on and thinking of others.  She was a giver in a most kind and gentle manner.  I will always remember that day and many just like it.  Farewell, my friend.  I will miss you but will always remember you.

Thanks for being a part of my life,
Dick