Elaine "Dinky" Carmichael

An obituary is a notice of death telling the story of a person's life — it's an oxymoron. Rather than share the events that made up the last 74 years, I’ll share with you the love that came from the life of Elaine "Dinky" Carmichael. Dinky manifested her love for others into actions. From baking to quilting, preparing a family feast, painting, or capturing everyday moments in photos — she had a servant's heart.

She lived her life following the example set by Jesus. In a crowd of people, she saw the faces of individuals and the opportunity to testify to the gospel of God’s grace. She considered every person a gift from God.

In 1971, Dinky married Joseph M. “Mike” Carmichael, Sr. Over the next five years, they welcomed their two children — Shanna and Joey. In her time on this earth, she smiled when reminiscing about Shanna’s days playing baseball, Joey’s time on the soccer field, and every time Mike returned home from his two weeks away at USMC summer camp. More recently, her three grandchildren, Caleb, Grace, and Ethan, brought her immense joy. The planner of our family, she tracked every soccer match and showed up cheering as loud as she could for both Grace and Ethan. At night, she stayed up late to talk to Caleb as he worked the night shift. These hours that she invested on the phone and at the field formed memories we’ll cherish forever. Although she had only three biological grandchildren — Dinky was “Nanny” to many; In particular, her new loves, as Liam and Branch.

Each morning, you’d likely find Dinky sitting quietly in the living room, drinking her coffee and smiling as she watched family photos flip across the screen of her digital photo frame. She filled our home with music and enjoyed her quiet time reading the gospel or thinking about how to plan the next big adventure.

As long as forever, my love will be true.

For as long as I live, I'll love only you.

When Christ died on the cross, he transformed love into action, and Grace was born. His grace set the standard for how we should live. While on this earth, Dinky transformed her love for others into actions by preparing meals, delivering cookies, picking out fabrics for a quilt, collecting recipes, and creating a 12-month plan for making Christmas gifts. She loved deeply and laughed often.

To see her was to know her.

To know her was to love her.