Funeral: A visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5th, 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Moore Memorial Funeral Home (1219 N Davis Dr) in Arlington. A celebration of Carol’s life will be held on March 6, 2013 at Most Blessed Sacrament Church (2100 N Davis Dr, Arlington, TX) at 10:00am with reception to follow at her home.
MEMORIALS: To honor the memory of Carol, in lieu of flowers, please send gifts to the ALS-TDI Foundation (www.als.net), ALS Association (www.alsa.org), or to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (www.stjude.org).
Carol entered the world on November 7, 1947 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. She grew up in Venezuela, where she met her husband Stephen. She had two of her three children, Susy and Debbie, in Caracas before moving to Arlington, TX in 1979 where her third daughter, Nicky, was born. Arlington is where she called home, where she dug in her roots and where she blossomed into a North Arlington icon.
Carol’s life was one of love and service. Her greatest accomplishment was raising her three daughters and supporting her husband and his successes. She became the quintessential grandmother to her eight grandchildren, who called her by the nickname Cici. We could go on forever with what she meant to us, but her life was so much bigger than that. Carol affected everyone she met.
Carol was inspirational to all who met her. Friends say Carol taught us how to live with gusto, laughter, kindness, love of family, and love of God. We will all remember Carol’s laugh, gorgeous eyes, perfect smile, and Latin spiciness. Carol truly never met a stranger. There was not a person in a room Carol would not meet, learn their entire life story, and have them leave feeling better about themselves. Her encouragement made people happier about where they were, what they were doing, and why they were doing it. Carol worked to help people find their life’s purpose. In that endeavor, she found hers.
Carol gave of her time and of her heart. She served the Arlington community with all she had. She was involved in several key organizations culminating in her receiving the Volunteer of the Year Award for the city of Arlington in October 2012. Some of the organizations with which Carol was most involved include: The Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Arlington, the UTA School of Nursing, Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, Arlington Life Shelter, Rotary Club of Arlington, Most Blessed Sacrament Church, Delta Gamma, PTA, Young Life, and many more. She opened her home willingly to charitable causes, worked hard to raise funds, and gave generously.
… and then there were the things that were just Carol: her closet (organized by color… how many black pants can you have?), her shoes, her favorite friends at Neimans, her gifts to anyone and everyone, jewelry, and the way she would open her house to the community with her amazing parties. What a time she had! A truly unique person who knew how to live.
Her bright smile and infectious laugh were an inspiration to the end. Even while she battled the cruel disease ALS, Carol made you feel like you were the most important person in the world. She refused to allow herself to be slowed down. She refused to quit living… to quit being a wife and a mother… to quit being Carol.
SURVIVORS: Carol is survived by her husband, Stephen Zimmer, her three daughters, Susannah Smith of Frisco, TX, Deborah Henderson of Colorado Springs, CO, and Nicole Sewell of San Antonio, TX and their husbands Robert Smith, Chance Henderson, and Jeff Sewell. She will be missed by her eight beautiful grandchildren, Brynne, Asher, Austin, and Ryland Smith, Katie Belle and Cooper Henderson (and future baby Henderson, due in July), and Cadlea and Alden Sewell (and future baby Sewell due in October); her mother Jasmine Bratt, brothers David and Jonny Bratt, and sister Judi Darby; as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews who were very important and loved by her.
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