Carolyn Ann Curtis

Carolyn was one of seven children. She had four brothers: Bill, George, Charles, and Russ. And two sisters: Doris and Betty. Betty is now the only sibling still living. Carolyn is also survived by her son, Donald Curtis, and daughter, Lucy Curtis.

Sadie, Carolyn’s mom, was a good Christian mother. She read her Bible and prayed every day. The children cannot remember a time when they didn’t go to Sunday school. They attended Berea Community Church and, later, Menoa Presbyterian Church. All the brothers and sisters attribute the four sons’ return from WWII to Sadie’s prayers.

In 1946, Carolyn married Gene Curtis, whom she had known for many years. They soon moved from Philadelphia, PA., to Provo, Utah, where Gene attended Brigham Young University under the G.I. Bill. While there, in 1949, she had her first son, Donald.

They eventually returned to Pennsylvania, where they lived until moving to Georgia in 1990. While in Pennsylvania, another son, Jim, was born in 1953. In 1957, Lucy was born.

Gene and Carolyn had a zest for fun. They hiked in the Appalachian Mountains, built bobsled-style snow runs for small toboggans, and visited the seaside with her sister’s family. After retirement, they made an annual trek to Florida as “snowbirds” until they moved to Georgia, where Donald, Lucy, and their grandchildren lived. Here they hosted pool parties, sang in their church choir, and watched their grandchildren grow and their great-grandchildren arrive.

Carolyn loved coffee. She often made “little boy” coffee and served into her son Don. Is it any wonder that Don now roasts his own coffee and her grandson Nathanael is a professional coffee roaster in New York City.

Carolyn loved puns and always spouted off with jokes and humor—even through the rough patches. This was passed on to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. To a greater or lesser degree, we all try to be funny.

Carolyn baked and decorated birthday cakes, she taught her grandchildren to make Ragged Anns and Andys, and she did critters. Her critters were assembled from driftwood and various large seeds. They were quite lifelike and are a legacy preserved by her children.

A few days before she passed, Carolyn met her great-great-grandchild and was in a five-generation picture.

Carolyn’s life had its hard times also, which she handled with optimism. It was as if nothing could keep her down.

Someone from the family just wrote,

I’ve been thinking and processing a lot about the year our family has had. We’ve had medical emergencies, we sent fresh adults on their journeys of growing up, and we lost people we loved so deeply.

Through it all, I’ve been so grateful for the community of support that our family is. You’ve opened your homes, been shoulders to cry on, made meals, sent texts, gone to the hospital, cleaned houses, sedated cats, planned schedules, abandoned schedules, and made many other sacrifices. Thank you for all of it. As long as I have you guys, the pain and the problems can keep coming because I’m fighting next to the most resilient, joyful, gracious, loving people. You’re all doing so much good in my life, and I know you’re making an impact on the other people around you too so even when you’re tired, irritated, and hurting don’t lose hope because I promise: so much good can come from so much bad.

How does a family achieve such a remarkable base of support? It is certainly not something that just happens. The skills must be taught and modelled. We follow the examples of others. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example.” (Philippians 3:17)

My dad and mom, and Stephanie’s dad and mom, now all gone, are the beginnings of our family’s strength. Did they not all face hardship with both humor and optimism? Did they not know how to enjoy each other’s company? Did they not allow the Holy Spirit to shape their characters and lives?

Thus, Carolyn’s legacy continues through four, and perhaps five, generations.

A memorial service for Carolyn Curtis will be held on Friday, November 28, 20225 from 8:30 am to 9:30 am at the Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 2950 Cobb Pkwy NW, Kennesaw, GA 30152.