Carmen Faye Underwood

Carmen Faye Underwood, passed away at Audubon Hospital on Friday, August 30, 2013. Faye was born in Louisville, KY, on August 10, 1941, to Mayme M. Underwood (nee Pickerel) and Herschel A. Underwood, now deceased. Her only sibling, brother Christopher M. Underwood, preceded her in death. Survivors are her aunt, Marcella Headrick, and uncle, Bernard Pickerel (Joann), of Tompkinsville, KY; two nieces, Lyndsey M. Underwood and Tabbatha Hope Chesler (Rick) of Florida; one great nephew, Finn Benjamin Chesler; sister-in-law Dee Underwood; and a host of cousins in Alabama, Tennessee, California, and Oregon. She dearly loved her family and their 40 year history of gathering at the Pickerel Farm in Tompkinsville, KY for Labor Day Reunions.

Faye graduated from Manual High School and University of Louisville. After two master’s degrees, she took advanced classes in Medical Technology and began a career that lasted 45 years with work performed at Old Louisville General, Children’s, and Methodist Hospitals; Watterson College, National Health and Lab Corp. She also performed lab work on animals at the Louisville Zoo for a time. She stated on her Facebook page that she was a Microbiologist/Med Tech her whole career - loving every minute of it.

Friends and family of Faye all acknowledge her abundant zeal for life. She adored her animal friends, mostly dogs; the current furry friend being Bella, a lovable Cavishon. Faye read incessantly and loved everything about the City of New Orleans – especially its Jazz. She was interested in and tried everything from fast cars, to tree farming and learning the Dulcimer. Mostly though, she was an avid reader and loved to travel. She had been to Italy several times and recently began learning to speak Italian with plans for yet another trip to Italy next summer. She was an Elder in Beechmont Presbyterian Church for many years.

A celebration of her life will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 3, 2013, in the Chapel of Arch L. Heady at Resthaven, 4400 Bardstown Road, with a visitation starting after 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. The Rev. Tony Aja, her Pastor, will officiate at the service. A graveside service and inurnment will be held at a later date at Skaggs Creek Cemetery in Tompkinsville, Ky.