On April 14th, my husband's mother died. It was truly a time too soon. This may still be too early yet to write as fluently as I'd like about Carlene. I'm still in that phase of realization that she is no longer just a phone call or short trip in the car away.
I could never have asked for a better "mother-in-love"... She was always so supportive. As Glenn is very much like his father, she understood my situation better than any other. Never bashing her husband or her son, it was enough to know she understood my side of things. Very few times did I see her without a kind look or a smile on her face. Both she and my father-in-law never attached strings to any help they offered. They both were available to supply advice when asked, but never gave us any grief if we happened to follow a different path than the one they advised.
The following I compressed from the newspaper obituary and the funeral program:
Carlene was born July 13, 1928, in Fairfield, Oklahoma, the fourth of six children. She grew up on a farm in Mangum, Oklahoma, where everybody knew where you lived by the name of the owner of the farm. She heard her first gospel quartet at church in the early 1930's. This was probably the beginning of her love for Southern Gospel music. She moved to Mesquite, Texas, with her family in 1944 and graduated from Mesquite High School as Salutatorian in 1946.
Carlene met her future husband, J. C., on a blind date in 1950, and they were married six months later. Their marriage lasted over 58 years. All of these years were spent as active members of First Assembly of God in Garland where they raised their children. She was a great example of a true Christian to everyone who knew her. Carlene touched the lives of many children over the years through her ministry in the church nursery. Carlene sent out countless cards to both family and church members, for all occasions. She also shared herself for many years working with the Girl Scouts, first as a leader and later at the administration office from which she retired in 1997. Carlene touched the lives of everyone she knew for the better.
She finished her race on April 14, 2009, at the age of 80. Carlene is survived by her husband, her four children, her three sisters and seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a brother and a sister, as well as a grandson and a granddaughter.
I have a few years yet to become a mother-in-law, but I had the ideal model her life before me. I hope I can do her proud.
Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, Donna's mother, Charlotte, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completed his homeschooling in the fall of 2008. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One in 2003, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can visit her website at http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC
copyright © 2009 Donna Conner ~~ All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of author, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles where the title and author are listed.
