Obituary of Carolyn Dee Willert

Born January 29, 1939 - Died June 25, 2007 .... a brief re-cap of Carolyn's Life The year was 1939, and history records show that the following events were in the headlines: Adolf Hitler's Nazi troops were invading bordering countries, and the winds of WW II were sweeping around the world. Nestle Company introduces instant coffee, and it was a big hit with the public. John Wayne becomes a popular film star when he appeared in the low budget film "Stagecoach". Meanwhile, in the peaceful little country town of Wichita Falls, Texas, Ben and Mary Lumpkin were giving birth to a beautiful little girl, the third in a line of seven children. They named her Carolyn Dee and the date was January 29, 1939. These were trying times... the world was soon at war and money was hard to come by. For a family to survive everyone had to pitch in and do their part for the family. As the third child who was followed by four younger children, Carolyn learned at an early age what it was to work. The children in order of birth were Ben Fielding, Jane Ann, Carolyn Dee, Nancy Pearl, Robert Norris, Martha Kay and Morris Herschal... Money was short and Carolyn always wanted a bike. On the way home from school one day, she spotted one unattended, and she took it for herself. Her short lived moment of joy soon turned into a lesson learned, and she had to face the consequences of stealing the bike. Carolyn attended Wichita Falls High School and graduated with the class of 1957. While in high school she enjoyed playing baseball and took a great deal of pride in singing in the school choir. After graduation Carolyn attended Baylor University for one year. For the next five years, Carolyn lived in her hometown of Wichita Falls, TX. and worked as a secretary for White's Auto Store. In 1963 events took place that were to change the course of her life. She and her sister Nancy went for a drive, and while doing so came across a couple of boys from the local Air Force Base, Sheppard A.F.B., in their 1957 Chevy pleading for help, because the battery had gone dead on their car. The girls decided they wanted nothing to do with this idea and these guys, they knew if anything happened to their own car, a powder blue falcon which was Carolyn's Pride and Joy, they would not be getting another one, so they drove off, leaving them to their plight. As it happened, she met one of these guys again two months later, and it turned out to be a young Air Force guy on leave, and this time she took the time to get to know him , his name was Dennis C. Willert, and a love story began. This young man learned her age and claimed they were the same age, but the truth came out 5 months later when they went to the courthouse to get married, and was told he was too young and needed his father's permission to get married. On July 10, 1963 she became Mrs. Dennis Willert. The two of them made their first home in Wichita Falls, but only three months after they were wed, Dennis was shipped overseas to Spain and she was home alone for the following year. Upon Dennis' return they were transferred to Georgetown, TX., near Austin for three years where she went to work for the University of Texas. Then the couple was transferred to Minot, North Dakota where they lived for two years. In 1971 they were transferred to Tacoma, Washington, where Dennis retired from the Air Force and they remained and made their home until this day. Carolyn and Dennis gave birth to two wonderful children, MaryHelen "Missy" and Stephen, and were later blessed with two delightful grandsons whom she loved dearly. During the years the children were at home she took on the responsibility of homemaker, cooking , gardening, sewing, girl scout leader, school volunteer and mom. She was a wonderful cook and the children still consider her Chicken Fried Cube Steak as their all time favorite dinner memory. When the children went off to school she stayed involved in their lives by involving herself in the PTA and working part time in the school her children attended. That part time job soon worked into full time, and Carolyn worked for the Tacoma School District for 27 years as a Para Educator, retiring in 2002. Carolyn and her daughter Missy, had the pleasure of working together in the same school before Carolyn retired. Her friends remember her for her delightful infectious laugh, and her smooth Texas drawl. Carolyn loved to go shopping and many a Saturday would find her and her good friend Karen out exploring the craft shops, specialty stores, fabric outlets, craft fairs and garage sales. She would start shopping for Christmas in January and would bring home the gift, hide it, and then at Christmas time would not know where to fine it. Later when it became difficult for her to get around, she found the internet, a wonderful place to shop.. And boy did she shop!! She loves women's magazines where she could find articles on crafts and cooking. She ordered so many subscriptions, Dennis had to install an oversized mail box so the postman could fit them all in the box. She also loved to watch cooking shows on TV, and often would watch one and tape another so she could see them both. Always crafty, Carolyn was into ceramics, scrap booking, and collecting nick knacks from all around the world. Her favorite collection items were picture frames, for the grandsons and nutcrackers, and holiday decorations.. She loved Dachshunds and over the years she had six of them in her home plus puppies. Every year Carolyn looked forward to her and Dennis taking a road trip in their motor home. They would travel to see family members in Colorado and Texas. She loved these outings. When young she was active in church, and although she was not involved in the later years, she always believed in God where she drew faith and comfort when she faced hardships. About a year ago her health took a turn for the worse and she had heart surgery in Spokane; in spite of the small odds of success, she survived another seven months. Carolyn fought long and hard to overcome her surgery. In the end, it was just too much for her. On Monday June 25, Carolyn slipped quietly to her rest with her loving family at her side. Tribute Music at service: "Amazing Grace" by Elvis "Would You Go With Me" by Josh Turner Celebrant: Chaplain, Ronald Reed, Jr.