Carol Ann Curlee

Carol Curlee, age 79, passed away on Friday, May 20, supported by her family and the loving care of nurses and aides at Carillon House memory care unit in Lubbock, Texas. Carol was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend to many; a cookbook author; and a tireless volunteer who was celebrated for her “chicken soup ministry.” She loved to swim, travel, attend Texas Tech games, play with children, play pop music, and throw a party. She had a gift for making everything fun.

Carol Ann Cron was born August 18, 1936, in San Juan, Texas, the eldest of four children born to Ralph Nicolet and Katherine McDaniel Cron. She had a headful of curls that drew comparisons to child star Shirley Temple, and her irrepressible spirit manifested early. At age two she charmed her mother’s tea party guests by bringing them cups of water (from where, her mother wondered. The water source, once confirmed, was never disclosed to the guests). Later, Carol and her sister Charlotte donned pillow case capes and jumped off the shed, pretending to fly. They delighted in teasing their baby brother Bill, and playing with families of dolls made from bottles of all shapes and sizes.

Both of Carol’s parents worked outside of the home, which was relatively rare at that time, so she began cooking dinner for her family at age 12, launching a life-long passion for cooking, collecting recipes and nurturing others.

Her family moved from the Rio Grande Valley to San Antonio, and Carol attended Jefferson High School, where she was first lieutenant in the Girls’ Cadet Corps and served as president of Jaspers, a social club. After graduating in 1954, Carol worked at Security Finance Corporation and became active in the Corral Group at First Presbyterian Church. There, she met Bob Curlee, an engineer from Louisville, Kentucky serving at Fort Sam Houston. They married in 1956 and moved to Richardson, Texas, where Bob launched his 50-year career with Texas Instruments. Carol focused her efforts on church and family, raising four very lucky children. She was a room mother, scout leader, bedtime story reader, and enthusiastic planner of creatively themed parties.

The Curlees moved to Lubbock in 1973, and there Carol began to work outside of the home, first at Mae Murphee Elementary School and later, as a caterer. She wrote and published three cookbooks: Here –You Want Something to Eat?, A Casually Catered Affair, and The Mexican Collection. All three titles sold briskly, with the second going to 12 printings. Carol led the college group at Westminster Presbyterian Church, volunteered as a phone counselor at Contact Lubbock, cooked and led food drives for Ronald McDonald House, and cooked up a pot of her famous chicken soup for those with new babies, illness or heartache.

Bob and Carol have been residents of Carillon LifeCare Community since 2009. In later years, Carol’s mind clouded with dementia, but she was sustained by the steadfast love of Bob, leader of “Team Carol” until his death in March 2016, and family and friends. The family is deeply grateful to the Carillon staff, especially the nurses and aides in the memory care unit, for their loving support of Carol, Bob, and their loved ones.

Carol was preceded in death by her mother Katherine and stepfather Paul Lovdahl; her father Ralph and stepmother Thelma Cron; her baby brother Lowell; and Bob, her beloved husband of 59 years. Survivors include son Bob and his wife Neva of Ruidoso, N.M.; daughter Kaye and her husband Will Ford of Lubbock; son Bruce and his wife Julann of Lubbock; daughter Kendall and her husband Chaim Goodman-Strauss of Fayetteville, Ark.; grandchildren Kayla, Krista, Brianne, Neil, Zoe, and Eli; sister Charlotte and her husband Jerry Campbell of Houston, Texas; brother Bill of San Antonio, Texas; beloved in-laws Annie and Jim Krach of Duarte, Calif.; 11 nieces and nephews; and many friends. She will be dearly missed. Memorials can be made to the Carillon Foundation (Alzheimer Care & Rediscovery Center Fund) at carillonlubbock.com or to Contact Lubbock at contactlubbock.com.

Condolences may be offered at www.resthavenfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Resthaven Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Lubbock, Texas.