Carol Jean Molder, a longtime Pensacola resident, passed peacefully on October 16, 2018. Born on March 13th, 1933, in Mobile, Alabama, Jean was the 2nd of three children. In the early 1950’s, Jean worked as a telephone operator for Southern Bell. She met and married the love of her life, Franklin Arthur Molder in 1955 and they were married for 50 years until his death in 2005. With their young daughter, Shannon, Jean traveled with Frank to many of his Navy duty stations including Norfolk, Virginia, and Rota, Spain before settling in Pensacola, Florida in 1966. Upon returning to the states, Jean began her thirty-year career at Gayfers as a switchboard operator. Jean was an avid Braves fan who loved word search puzzles and holidays with the family. You could always count on her to have a stick of Big Red gum in her purse, a cold 7UP in the fridge, and always found an excuse for the occasional Wendy’s hamburger.
Jean is preceded in death by her mother, Inez Mabry (nee:Hardy), her father Leo Charles Ankerson, her stepfather, Pete Mabry, her two brothers, Leo Jr. and Edward, and her husband, Frank. She is survived by her daughter, Shannon Coleman (George), her two grandchildren, April Zorn (Maximillian) and Erin Kozlowski (William), her two great-grandchildren, Jocelyn and Eleanor Kozlowski, and several nieces and nephews.
To your friends, you were Carol Jean. To your family, you were Mom and Granny. You are always loved and very much missed. Say hi to Paw-Paw for us and we’ll see you again.
Jean’s visitation will be Sun., Oct 21st from 3-5pm at Oak Lawn Funeral Home. Graveside services are Mon Oct 22nd at 10am at Barrancas National Cemetery on board NAS Pensacola, Florida, Shelter A. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in Jean’s name to a hospice of their choice.
Many thanks to VITAS Hospice for their incredible care of Jean in her final months. The family also wants to thank the staff of Windermere Memory Care for their love, patience, and kindness not only to Jean but to the family through this difficult time.
