Sarah Louise Carpenter Corkern

After sharing her love of life, music, laughter, her church, and her family for almost 93 years, Sarah passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, January 11, 2016, and went home to be in the presence of her Lord. While attending Southeastern Louisiana College (now SLU), she met and married the love of her life, Leroy, to whom she was married for forty years until his passing in 1983. After obtaining her piano instructor certification, she nurtured the musical talents of several generations of young piano and organ students. However, Sarah viewed her primary musical calling as glorifying God through providing organ or piano accompaniment at numerous churches in the area, including Emmanuel Baptist, Grace Baptist, and University Baptist of Baton Rouge. Her career in sacred music spanned eighty plus years, beginning at age seven when she would play the one hymn she then knew on alternating Sundays at the two small churches in her hometown of Norwood, Louisiana. Also an accomplished seamstress, cook, and hostess, Sarah will be remembered fondly by those whose lives she has touched. She is survived by a son, Murray Corkern and wife Linda; two daughters, Dr. Althea Ashe and husband Tommy, and Karen Babb; along with niece Carolyn Rothschild, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were dear to her heart. Preceded in death by her husband, Leroy Truland Corkern; her parents, John C. and Kathryn Sowar Carpenter; a brother, John C. Carpenter, Jr. and wife Sarah; a sister, Kathryn E. Carpenter; and son-in-law Barry Babb. Visitation will be at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd, from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM on Sunday, January 17th. Visitation will continue Monday, January 18th at University Baptist Church, 5775 Highland Road from 9:00 AM until the 11:00 AM service. Interment will follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park.