Linda Ann Carr

Linda Ann Carr, age 73, of Durham, NC passed away peacefully in the comfort of her home on March 13, 2023. Linda fought gracefully and valiantly until the end of her long and arduous battle with Alzheimer’s. She was born on March 6, 1950 in Hackensack, New Jersey and was the daughter of the late Charles Hulley and Marie Sparyda Hulley. Linda was an extraordinary wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. Her smile could light up any room and her laughter was infectious. She will be dearly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing and loving her as to know her was simply to love her. The family received friends on Monday, March 20th from 6-8 pm at Mitchell Funeral Home (7209 Glenwood Avenue). A Funeral Mass was held on Tuesday, March 21st at 1pm at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Private inurnment will take place at Raleigh Memorial Park. ~ Words of Remembrance from John Carr ~ (Spoken during the Funeral Mass) “My Bride” Where do I begin? I can still remember vividly the day Linda entered my life; Linda had that impact on everyone that was fortunate to meet her. I was at a high school dance and noticed this little girl dancing in the center of the room, she had more life and energy than 3 people. I knew I had to meet her, even if she would not respond in like kind. The first words I spoke to my bride was “Do You Want To Dance”? Linda looked straight into my eyes and said Yes. And for 50 Plus years we never stopped dancing! For you see dancing is in Linda’s DNA, but it is the love, compassion and exuberance of her heart that produces the dancing. And dance we did through the good times and the not so good times, always by each other’s side. For a lifetime I have had the blessing of witnessing Linda’s incredible presence and the joy she imparted on everyone around her. Always there to help everyone, no partiality, no predetermined evaluation, just love and compassion. My admiration and love for My Bride increased every time she said, “Hi I am Linda”. For I knew what would take place next. Now I have a double blessing, for My Bride’s heart is not only in my children, for I see my grandchildren have the same intense passion and love for everyone. I have the wonderful gift of hearing Linda when my grandchildren speak and share their love with others. Each grandchild not only possess the heart of Linda, but individually a special attribute of Linda’s character. And I have the blessing of watching Linda’s grandchildren mature into wonderful people. I thank the Lord for choosing Linda as My Bride. The birth of our children, Jennifer, Julie and Matthew was the pinnacle of Linda’s joy! I can still see the smile on her face after every birth, when Linda was presented with each child. I thought Linda was going to leap out of the hospital bed and run down the hall in excitement. I knew at those moments that the children would have love abundantly and not lack for affection. Linda’s love for our family was told through the brilliance of her eyes and her overwhelming smile. Linda could not wait for a new day so she could wake up our children and take them on a new adventure. They would travel and experience new parks, apple picking, gathering flowers, and any other interest Linda could think of. Then at the end of the day after Linda put the children to bed, she would sit with me and tell me every detail of the adventure, for Linda wanted me to experience each and every one of their adventures. Many times when the children were young, Linda would tuck them into bed and say goodnight, only to have Jenn, Julie and Matt wandering back out with their blankets and stuffed animals to sit next to us either on the couch or bed. Linda would usually say, I don’t know what is wrong, I put them to sleep, and they were ok. Well, I am not a very bright guy, but it was easy to see that the children did not want to miss any time with their Mom. For you see Linda was not just Mom, but their confidant, mentor, teacher, and with Matthew, partner in mischievous activities. To this day no one will tell me the various adventures of Linda and Matthew. My daughters promised me that one day they will divulge the secrets. No matter how bad a day I was experiencing, Linda could drown out all the negative with just her eyes and her smile. With Linda the cup was never half full or half empty. The cup was always FULL, with a little room for more! At times when I was down, Linda would say, John be thankful, look at all we have, and add to it her smile! Linda could take away anything that was troubling to me and replace it with warmth and laughter. Once our children were established with knowledge and personal skills as essential and approved by Linda; Linda chose to help and nurture new children. Linda received her master’s degree in special education and immediately began helping families of neurologically impaired children and terminally ill children. The goal was to not only help the child, but maybe more importantly to ease the burden on the mother and father. This is were Linda excelled, as the advocate for the child and the family, never backing down and insisting on the rights of the child. Over the years I received numerous telephone calls, letters, notes, flowers and fruit from parents of Linda’s students, all expressing their love and gratitude for Linda. I would at times visit Linda at the County System and the Local School System to see Linda, and even to this day I still do not know how Linda could control a positive loving environment let alone educate the children. I was useless, I could not stop the tears in my eyes. Linda would take me aside and say, “John these children don’t need your tears, they want and need your love”. One of the greatest joys of her life was the marriage of her children. She could not sleep the night before the wedding celebrations, and would constantly wake me and ask, aren’t you excited? Linda’s eyes and smile never shined so brightly as on that night and the wedding days. I knew in her heart the promise of grandchildren would follow and Linda’s joy for life would increase as our family grew. Linda loved our new sons, Brian and David. Linda called them “her boys” and she couldn’t wait to tell anyone who asked, about her boys. Linda would often tell me they are Good Boys and I love them so much, for we are blessed. An incredible bond formed between Linda and her boys, one that will not be broken. And once again I have the wondrous gift of watching this unfold. There are so many stories of Linda and her boys that are too numerous to state, but Linda has every story written on her heart. Unfortunately, Linda because of the disease could not spend quality and personal time with our new daughter, Jessica. This was a tremendous regret, for Linda planned and desired to bond with Jessica. Although a short time was only possible, the beginnings of a bond began to form. For Jessica is the author of Linda’s obituary, which is beautifully written with compassion. In Proverbs 31 there is a verse “a virtuous woman is a crown to her husband”. I cannot state that verse better, other than including Linda’s name. I am unable to express the deep of the words that I feel for the loss of my Linda. I am the recipient of many blessings and blessings to come, all through My Bride. I know I will see My Bride again in the Lord’s new Kingdom. Until then Linda rest in your Savior’s arms and hold our Boy. ~ The Continuation of Linda's Obituary ~ Linda attended Georgian Court College in New Jersey where she graduated with her Bachelor’s in Education. Additionally, she held a Master’s Degree in Education from Saint Thomas Aquinas College in New York and graduated Cum Laude. Linda was a committed Special Education Teacher at Midland Park Elementary School for twenty-five years. She was even named Teacher of The Year for The State of New Jersey, which was a testament to her many years of hard work and sacrifice for the teaching profession. With the same enthusiasm she applied to everything she did, Linda went above and beyond the regular duties of a teacher to truly make an impact on her students’ lives. Linda often showed up to work with her loyal companion and certified therapy dog, Wanda, by her side. She and Wanda worked together to provide safety and companionship to her students as well as help with their literacy development. She made it her goal to go beyond interacting with students on an instructional level and worked to make sure their physical and emotional needs were also met. Each year she would buy Christmas gifts for various families in need at her school and her husband, John, would dress as Santa to deliver those gifts. She will forever be remembered for her many passions and for the love that she spread to others through her kind gestures. While Linda may not be with us physically today, her radiant and compassionate spirit will remain in our hearts forever. Linda had a huge heart and caring spirit that exuded joy. She took pleasure in the small details in life and found purpose in both caring for and providing unconditional love to her husband, children, grandchildren, students and labrador retrievers. Linda loved cooking, dancing, gardening, sewing, knitting, playing the piano, singing and giving whatever she could to those who were in need. Her instinct was to nurture and she would go to any length to protect and tend to another being. All of her children’s’ costumes were handmade with love. She would also make costumes for her dogs and make a calendar of them dressed in various outfits each year. After learning that infant baby massages provide relaxation and strengthen the immune system she took it upon herself to learn how to give them to her grandchildren. Linda kept a book of the names of all the flowers in her garden and the places they were planted. She would buy salt licks for the deer that entered her yard so that they wouldn’t go hungry. She never met a stranger and she always saw the good and beauty in everyone and everything. She accepted everyone for who they were and then made them her own. Linda personified the loving mother and wife and is survived by her devoted husband: John P. Carr; daughters: Jennifer Trabulsi and husband Brian and Julie Whitehouse and husband David; by her daughter-in-law: Jessica Carr; seven grandchildren: Sophia, Grace and Gabriel Trabulsi, Madeleine and Ryan Whitehouse and Lila and Sebastian Carr; siblings and other extended family and friends. Linda and John were the true definition of a partnership and the love they shared for fifty years was selfless and enduring. They met at a high school dance where John was immediately taken with Linda and was in awe of her spirit and energy. Their marriage and life-long friendship resulted in three beautiful children who they taught to be fair, kind, respectful and have empathy for others. They practiced patience and encouraged independence in their children while openly expressing their affection and steadfast support. Linda and John knew one another better than any other person on Earth and he was her light and still refers to her as his “bride”. She always wanted him near and took comfort in his presence. After her diagnosis, Linda willingly accepted the guidance John offered as he responded to her every need with physical and verbal expressions of comfort, support, reassurance and above all unwavering love. Linda was preceded in death by her parents and in August 2022, by her beloved son, Matthew John Carr. The two were inseparable and their bond was stronger than anything on a physical plane and has always defied time and space. There was a special magic to their connection as it was tender and unbreakable, gentle and strong and both soft and loud all at the same time. The most precious thing about their relationship wasn’t its physicality, but rather their love, which was profound and boundless and they both knew this with every fiber of their being. Not everyone can love but Linda was capable of great love and instilled that in each of her children. For those that were unable to attend the service - a hyperlink to a video of the Mass (posted to Mitchell Funeral Home at Raleigh Memorial Park's YouTube channel) can be found below under DONATIONS. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Duke Home and Hospice Care – 4321 Medical Park Drive #101 – Durham, NC 27704. If you would like to leave a favorite story/memory of Linda or a message of condolence to her family, you may do so below within "add a memory".