Zelda Mae Carrier

She was born to Brady Tafford Clark and Sybil Irene Massey Clark in Jamestown, Arkansas on April 12, 1933. She attended Kindergarten in a one room schoolhouse in Locust Grove, Arkansas. Later, she attended Desha High School. During her years there, she was the class secretary, an editor for the newspaper and yearbook, worked in the library, played basketball, participated in 4H, and she was voted the funniest of her Senior class! She graduated in 1950.

The family lived down a winding road, orange from the weathered iron ore of the region. The kids would do chores on the 40 acre farm. They raised their own crops, tended to the horses and chickens, and picked cotton or beans during harvest. They attended the local Baptist church every Sunday, near where the Southwest part of Loop Road intersects with what is now Highway 25. Sometimes they would walk, some days "Old Doc" would pull them in the wagon.

After graduating at 17, she traveled by train with her friend and distant cousin Doris Ballard to Kansas City. They wanted to see the big city and more importantly, wanted to dance! Her first job was with General Electric in Kansas City, Missouri. The skyscraper was the tallest building west of the Mississippi at that time, with 34 floors and an art deco design. She enjoyed the city social life and loved dressing up in clothes from the finest clothiers and twisting the night away while experiencing life in the big city. Her first check from General Electric purchased a gas stove for her Mom and Dad back in Locust Grove.

She married Wilton “Bill” Hodge Carrier in 1957. They bought their dream home in Prairie Village, Kansas and raised three beautiful children there. As a family, they camped and traveled every summer from the shores of New York to California and nearly everywhere in between. It was an idyllic life.

She was a leader with the Girl Scouts of America and joined her young daughters on many camping trips through their younger years. She was a member of Village Presbyterian for over 40 years and participated in the Presbyterian Women’s activities. She was an award-winning speaker with Toastmistresses International and held all executive positions, including president of her local club. She was a paralegal and secretary for top law firms in Kansas City for well over 30 years and into her 70s. She was a musician and loved playing songs at church or around the campfire with her guitar. She played the piano and enjoyed composing songs until her last days. Zelda cherished her family more than anything.

She found contentment and joy in being a mother and raising her children well. She delighted in and worked hard at hosting Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner with perfectly set tables with China and silver in place. The dinners always began with prayer. Each guest would read a bible quote which she had carefully typed out on a small square piece of cardstock before dinner began. The door was always open, and many friends, relatives and acquaintances found their way to those special days.

Even when dementia began to take her away, she never lost her kindness or the sparkle in her eyes. She never lost her musical joy and played guitar and sang songs until the end. The love she had for her children was immense and unconditional and was evident until the end. One neighbor described her in a reference letter: "She is an Angel, and we don't mean that metaphorically, we think she might be."

She is survived by her three children: Celeste Gruhin Jasperson (Marc), Denise Carrier, Burton Clark Carrier. Four grandchildren: Meghan Sophia (Gruhin) McBryar (Ryan), James Bradford Gruhin, Heather Brianne Ray Franklin (Mark), Courtney Edye (Gruhin) Linares (Spenser), and three great-grandchildren: Caden Morris Linares, Ethan Wilford Linares. Ambrose Isaiah Franklin. One surviving sibling is Chester Clark (Sharon). Also surviving nieces, nephews and cousins including but not in total: Lennette (Owens) Kujawa, Beth (Clark) Everett, Phillip Clark and Beatrice Holder. Preceded in death were the father of her children Wilton Hodge Carrier, and her sisters Mildred Evelyn (Clark) Ezekil (Hershall), Fayrene (Clark) Holder (Oather), Floy Lee (Clark) Owens (Opalee); and brother Clifton Tafford Clark (Phyllis).