Carol C. Dykstra

On 2 August 2016, my wife, Carol Ann (Crowgey) Dykstra and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary. On the 4th of August, all of the beauty my eyes could bear, the very air I breathe, the reason my heart beats, the cause for all of my joy, the very fountain of love, the mother of my children, and my very best friend went to Heaven.

Born on 15 February 1951 in Baltimore, MD to Nancy Rollins Crowgey and H.B. Crowgey (deceased), she became Alabama's Junior Miss in 1969. She graduated from the Duke University School of Nursing in 1972. After our marriage, she accompanied me on our 30 year odyssey in the US Air Force. Our daughter, Heather, was born in February 1975 at Travis AFB, CA. Later, while stationed in England, we adopted our son, Daniel, now of KS. We retired from the Air Force in 1999. We moved from TX to Wichita, KS for 15 years before realizing our dream of returning “home” to NC where we built a new house that would allow her to enjoy peace, contentment, and family as her health declined. She was only able to experience it briefly, but in that short time she filled it with enough of her presence to sustain me until I join her. It is next door to my sister, Laurie Steele. So close were they, that they were “sisters”, too. Our daughter, her husband, and our two grandchildren are only a few miles away. Nieces and nephews abound, close by. I think that this was about as close to Heaven as she could get in this life.

Carol loved our children fiercely. She was an excellent and creative cook, found excitement and joy in travel and appreciated good wine (in moderation, of course). Our grandson, Vander Roe, is four and granddaughter, Elora Roe, is 5 months. If it could be measured, I am sure Carol poured a lifetime of her love into their short lives.

She is survived by her brothers, Steve and Scott Crowgey, both of Atlanta, and her mother. She was preceded in death by her sister Gail Adams and sister-in-law, Linda Dykstra Johns who, also, was like a sister to her. Because of their great big hearts, her relationship to her mother- and father-in-law (who also preceded her in death) was as close as a natural daughter. Can't you just feel the love???

Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, August 13 at Harry & Bryant's Chapel in the Oaks, 500 Providence Road, Charlotte. A reception will be held for everyone immediately following the memorial.

For 50 years Carol was a valiant foe of her arch nemesis, lupus. In the end, she survived this illness and its crippling effects and was called home, on short notice, by the God who had sustained her all her life. In lieu of flowers, she would be happy to know that a donation was made, in her name, to the Lupus Foundation of America (aka: LFA), P.O. Box 96864, Washington, DC 20090-6864 in the hope that others could enjoy the long full life she had.

In loving memory - Ken