Carol Ann Doughty Lewis

Carol Ann Doughty Lewis, passed away on Thursday, May 20, 2021. A graveside funeral service is planned for Sunday, May 30, 2021 at 2pm from Memory Hill Gardens, Garden of the Sermon on the Mount. There will be a brief visitation immediately following the service at the Graveside. Services will be officiated by Rev. Lou Ann Sellers, Associate Pastor for Congregational Care and Missions, First Presbyterian Church, USA, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A vocal solo presentation will be provided by Devin Simmons. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care of Memory Chapel of Tuscaloosa, a Dignity provider. Carol Ann Doughty was born on January 2, 1939 to Emmett and Pearlie Doughty of Fayette, Alabama. She attended and graduated from Tuscaloosa County High School. She had three children by her first marriage and two more by her second. She married Daniel Wesley Lewis in 1982 and they remained married until her death on Thursday, May 20, 2021. She was 82 years and 138 days old. Carol, her sister Sue, and their aunt, Jean Doughty, were inseparable as youngsters. They often spent hours playing in the uncultivated part of the land that her grandfather owned. Through the years, the three young women would have many adventures, so many so that in the 1990's a family member created a Wanted Poster claiming they were wanted, but not dangerous and last seen in the area of Fayette. Carol had a stroke at age 57. At the time, we all felt as though we would lose her. She fought back and recovered almost all of her faculties, illustrating a prime example of her toughness. She was a big Alabama football fan. She used to call family members after each win and shout a hearty "Roll Tide" before she even said "Hello" to them. One of Carol's most memorable characteristics was the fact that she ended every conversation, whether in person or via telephone, with "I love you". She was a kind and loving mother, but she was much more than that. She was kind to everyone, and love was a huge part of her make-up. Carol was a prankster. She delighted in pulling little jokes on those she cared the most about, as well as others. One such prank occurred when the family lived in Cottondale, Alabama, in a house trailer behind their curb market. She knocked on the door of the trailer, her three oldest children inside, and pretended to be "John" who claimed to live in the trailer park. Michael, her eldest, told "John" that he was "not going to let you in". Carol laughed and said "It's Mama, open the door". It was a prank, but she was also testing the children to see if they had learned the lesson she was teaching them about not opening the door to strangers. When the family moved to Maryland in 1967, the trailer was put up for sale. When a buyer was found, Carol flew home to Tuscaloosa to close the deal. She was presented with claims that the "previous owners" had left the trailer in a horribly dirty condition. She then informed the agent that she was the previous owner and she had personally saw to it that the trailer was immaculately clean. The agent apologized, and the deal went through. This was another example of her character: a strong backbone and the ability to speak her mind. While living in Maryland, both she and her husband each worked two jobs, leaving most of the housekeeping to the elder children. The chores were divided up and each of the three children had assignments for a week. At the end of the week, the chores rotated and at the end of three weeks, each child had performed each of the chores for one week. Cooking dinner for the family also fell to the children. They were taught how to make cornbread and biscuits, and numerous dishes. The parents would arrive home after their second jobs to supper on the table. This was possible only because Carol took the time and had the patience to teach the children how to do the chores and prepare the meals, tasks that most children their age never experienced. In 1971, the family moved to Tioga, Louisiana and purchased the Alpine Kwik Shop convenience store along U. S. Highway 71. The little business thrived with the energy the family put into it. As time went by and other businesses were opened along the highway, it became necessary to expand the store’s retail offering. Carol’s experience as a Safeway Supermarket deli employee allowed the addition of a sandwich and deli section in the store, adding a new source of income for the small business. Three Gulf gasoline pumps increased the overall revenue of the Kwik Shop, but at the time, gasoline sold for 32.9 cents per gallon with a very small profit margin. New business was brought in by the self-service pumps and customers would also purchase soft drinks and snacks when they made their gasoline purchases. During much of the four years that the family owned the business, Carol would take Michael and open the store on weekends. Being a true family business, it was up to Mom and Dad, with help from the children, to run the store for its 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours of operation. When school was in session, Carol and her husband ran the business during the day, and one of them would work the evening shift with Michael. Help was necessary, and individuals were hired to work the evening shift and part of the weekends with Michael. When Lewis Hicks, Carol’s brother-in-law, moved to Louisiana, Carol was able to be at home with the younger children each night during the week, working only days except for Saturday. The reduced workload at the store allowed for a more stable household for Carol and the children, but the business suffered without her being there, and it was sold in 1975. The family moved to Tyler, Texas, where they would remain until the present, with the exception of Michael, who stayed in Louisiana to attend school. Carol met Wes after her divorce, and the two married in 1982. Wes and Carol made a good couple, and the two youngest children were well-taken care of. All of the older children had moved out and were either married or working for most of the marriage, but Wes never hesitated to treat them as his own. Carol was able to attend the Doughty Family Reunion in Samantha, Alabama every July until her health forced her to miss it. She would drive herself from Tyler, Texas, to Northport, Alabama, where she would stay with her sister, Sue Jones, for the period before and after the reunion. While in Northport, the trio of Carol, Sue, and their Aunt Jean were again united, and many memories were made by them. Whether they were playing Rook, driving to Philadelphia, Mississippi, or preparing for and attending the family reunion, they were always having fun. Their fourth in their Rook games changed from time-to-time, but they wore out a lot of cards during this time. When Carol was no longer able to drive the roughly 500 miles from Tyler to Northport, her children in Texas would drive her to a meeting point in Mississippi, either Vicksburg or Jackson, and she would ride on to Northport with Michael, who had moved to Tuscaloosa following his divorce. The return trip was carried out in the same way, with a meeting point somewhere in Mississippi. This was her way to continue to attend the Family Reunion for many years, until the trip became too much for her. In order to continue attending the reunion, she would fly into Birmingham, Alabama, and family members would meet her flight and drive her to Northport, and back to the airport when she had to leave. Unfortunately, her last few years were not easy for her. Many medical conditions forced her into several stays in the hospital. With multiple maladies, she was forced to spend much of her time in various doctors’ offices. She was slowed but never stopped. She continued to attend family reunions through 2019, and would have probably attended in 2020 had the COVID-19 pandemic not occurred. Carol died peacefully on the morning of May 20, 2021 in Tyler, Texas. She will be buried in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Sunday, May 30, 2021, at 2 pm in Memory Hill Gardens cemetery, being laid to rest beside her parents, Emmett and Pearlie Doughty. Mrs. Lewis was preceded by her parents, Emmett and Pearlie Doughty, paternal grandparents Marcellous and Florence Doughty, and maternal grandparents Mack and Viola Lynn. She is survived by husband Daniel Wesley Lewis; 6 children and their spouses Michael Edward and Barbara Ann Hicks, Patrice Katherine and John Timothy Holland, Anthony O’Neal Hicks, Lynn Edward and Tammy Hicks, Charlotte Ann and Joey Wiggins, and Debra Ann and Ray Weaver; 24 grandchildren and spouses Teresa Jones, Jennifer and Robbie Frost, Robby and Tonya Cristan, Timothy and Jennifer Holland, Samuel and Kristen Holland, Joshua and Leanna Holland, Daniel and Katelyn Holland, April Laddatto, Nicholas and Amanda Hicks, Staci and Leon Sisson, Timothy Price, Bobby and Amanda Price, Robert Price, Chase Hicks and fiancée Elizabeth Enders, Rebecca and Matthew Skamra, Aaron Hicks, Christine and Kenneth McClelland, Brandon and Robin Hicks, Austin Hicks and Delicia, Cameron Hicks, Wendy and Bobby Murray, Casey and John Seagroves, Wesley and Katie Weaver, and David and Heather Weaver; 50 great-grandchildren Daniel Jones-Jackson, Caden Frost, Addi Frost, Kate Cristan, Dale Cristan, Amelia Holland, Beckett Holland, Sawyer Holland, Cohen Holland, Reese Holland, Luke Holland, Ruby Holland, Avery Holland, Peyton Hicks, Wesley Hicks, Sophia Hicks, Colin Hicks, Emmett Hicks, Samantha Sisson, Alexander Sisson, Serenity White, Joey Hume, Ashton Price, Ellie Price, Lillie-Ann Minteer, Leeza McClelland, Liam McClelland, Evelyn Allen, Alex Hairell, Jason Hairell, Colton Hairell, Frederick Hairell, Jace Hairell, Bentley Hicks, Scarlett Hairell, Maverick Hicks, Autumn Hairell, Myra Hicks, Zyrie Murray, Athena Murray, Larissa Seagroves, Heidi Seagroves, Blake Weaver, Isabel Weaver, Taylor Weaver, and Dylan Weaver; 1 sister Linnie Sue Jones; 1 niece and spouse: Barbara and Rick Smith; 4 nephews and spouses (or significant others) Gary Jones (Christy), Brian and Alicia Jones, Glenn Jones (Beth), and Brent and Lindsay Jones; 6 great-nieces, 4 great-nephews; 2 great-great-nieces, and 3 great-great-nephews. Serving as Active Pallbearers will be: Timothy Holland, Samuel Holland, Joshua Holland, Daniel Holland, Nicholas Hicks, Chase Hicks, and Cameron Hicks. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you please consider making a tax-deductible donation to either of the charities below in memory of Carol Ann Doughty Lewis: The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at www.alzfdn.org or The American Stroke Association at www.stroke.org.