Carroll L. Quinn III

Born in Houston on May 14th, 1951, Carroll Lloyd Quinn, III was a gifted young man. He excelled at baseball, golf, and mischief. He had to walk barefoot through the snow uphill both ways 15 miles just to go to school. After fearlessly driving a motorcycle down the hallway of high school, he decided a career in the Marine Corps would take full advantage of his intelligence and bravery. He spent 36 months in the trenches of Viet Nam where he earned a multitude of medals including 4 Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. After his time in the war, he lent his talents to teaching young Marines as a drill instructor. That is where his skills for yelling furiously were honed.

Carroll spent his younger days as a rambling man, breaking hearts and taking names until the 1980s landed him on Pasadena's Most Eligible Bachelor List. He was smart enough to sing "Stuck On You" to all his lovely prospects just to be sure he never forgot their special song. He almost got away with that, until he met a pretty young mother. It is true that girls in the courthouse were crying when Carroll and Tammy sealed the deal with a marriage license. His dearly departed father-in-law was by his side that day, helping to ensure the economics of matrimony had been thoroughly discussed. After that his years as Major Dad commenced. He was known for lining up little girls like USMC recruits, and passing out lectures on the ways of the world. Beds were made and noise was kept at a minimum while marching to the Marine Corps Hymn was often encouraged. He was known for scaring off boys and cooking hamburgers for the marching band while the girls navigated high school. He was tough on them, demanding excellence and doing homework at 4am by their side when necessary. He made them work hard and he let them play harder. Then he'd load them into the back of a beat up old truck and haul them down to the beach where salt air and sand castles occupied the weekend.

He liked to build things. He loved welding. His favorite project was a BBQ pit he custom made. It was his pride and joy until his mother-in-law, aka Sugar Britches, lost it on the highway. A few drinks could open the books of philosophy and a night passed out in his recliner could sometimes land him turned upside down on the living room floor. Somehow he survived those teenage years and the he recovered from the heart attacks that always followed the announcement of wedding plans. He gave his girls away, but he never wanted to be far from their thoughts. He was often a pain to be around, but he was loved despite the fact.

When Major Dad became a grandfather, a whole new man emerged. His Presidency of the Grumpy Old Man's club was tenured for life, but a new tenderness emerged. He played in a ball pit with Brendon and they were soon golfing buddies. He was amazed by how quick he became a man, a very good man. He loved to watch Preston (aka Pressie) cover Autumn with dirt while she returned the favor. Years later he couldn't believe what a soccer player he was. Austin was his favorite entrepreneur, always full of ideas that impressed him. From the moment Hannah stole his newspaper, she cornered his heart. She was his little songbird. He spoiled her. He thought Dylan was the best parts of his mom and dad- smart, boiling over with ingenuity and strong as a "tush hog", which may not be a real word, but it is in the CQ Dictionary. He always took Dylan to buy his football cleats. He made traditions with them. Tucker reminded the old Marine of himself as a young man- smart, tough and tenacious. Trenton was his boo. Pawpaw babysat him just once, and that was all it took to put him on the straight and narrow for life. He was always amused by Jordan and Jayden. He called them double trouble and loved that they are athletic and witty. He never forgot the time Jordan told him the only reason people thought he was the quiet one was because he couldn't get a word in edge-wise. It cracked him up every time he thought about that. Kailynn was the little princess that crawled in his lap to steal his chocolate and tattle on her brothers. He took the bait every time! He appreciated Sarah's love of art and her creativity. Joshua, his fellow Marine worked hard to make him proud. And Laynee was the diva that could tell him to go take an "old man nap". She was the boss.

These 13 young people changed his world. They gave him things to look forward to. They gave him things to brag about, and Lord knows he loved to brag.

He worked hard and traveled over seas. He valued a job well done. He loved his country. He never stopped learning about current events and the world around him. He was forever a dreamer, wishing successes for all of us.

He nursed his wife through cancer, proving once and for all that he could operate a vacuum cleaner and a washing machine. The world nearly stopped turning. After the death of Autumn, he was insistent on having a puppy so Summer arrived in the dead of winter and quickly became his meatball and buzzsaw and chewed her way through his house and his heart. He spent his final year graduating from obedience school and eating crazy concoctions with Malcolm, his midnight buddy. When he got bored, he turned on the heater just to drive his wife insane.

No one saw the end coming, there was no chance to say goodbye to this Grumpy Old Marine, but he wanted it to be exactly that. He still called his daughters "baby doll" and he still liked to take care of things. He snuck gas money to the grandkids and lit up like a Christmas tree whenever they called- even though he hated for phones to ring. There's a special place in heaven for men like him. I think its the room with the recliner where Top Gun is playing on the TV. I like to picture him there; because if you knew what he thought of reincarnation, you would hope he's watching Top Gun, too...

Carroll was preceded in death by his father, Carroll L. Quinn, II of Beaumont, Texas; mother, Mary Payne of DeRidder, Louisiana; and brother, Mike Crumpler of Houston, Texas. He is survived by his devoted wife, Tammy Layne Quinn of Round Rock, Texas; daughters: Heather Thomason of Norman, Oklahoma, Tiffany and her husband Sean Prestridge of Rockdale, Texas, Courtney and her husband Raymond Harris of Big Springs, Texas and Miranda and her husband Wesley Tolle of Garland, Texas; his beloved grandkids: Brendon, Preston, Austin, Hannah, Dylan, Tucker, Trenton, Jayden, Jordan, Kailynn, Sarah, Joshua and Laynee; two sisters: Cynthia Quinn Flowers and Melissa Patterson; and his mother-in-law, Robbie Bird along with a multitude of nieces, nephews, in-laws and out-laws.

The family will greet guests at a visitation to be held on Sunday, November 9, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 in the evening at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home in Pflugerville, Texas. Services to celebrate Carroll’s life will be held on Monday, November 10, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. in the Memorial Chapel of Cook-Walden Capital Parks. To share memories of Carroll with his family, please visit www.cookwaldencapitalparks.com