Carol A. McCutchin

CAROL McCUTCHIN passed away peacefully on Monday, March 19, 2018, with her girls by her side. Born May 22, 1934, to Mercer Armstrong (who called her KO because she was such a knock-out) and Bernice Sams in the small West Texas town of Benjamin, population 258. It didn’t take long for Carol to know she was meant for more than small towns. She attended Abilene Christian University and Texas Tech before making her way to Dallas, where she finished her degree at Brookhaven College. She got a Real Estate License and, somewhere in between, fell in love with interior decorating and pretty things. Carol was an avid collector of art and supported many artists through the years. She cooked amazing meals for large amounts of people. Not a morsel was ever left behind. A small gathering to Carol was 20 people or more and you never went home hungry.

In the second half of her life, Carol met a handsome and famous heavy weight wrestler named Red Bastien, her companion of more than 30 years. They traveled the world and back, making New York, Hawaii, The San Juan Islands, San Francisco, Rome and who knows where else their second homes. Carol and Red lived a large life and had so many friends from all over the world. She loved Red and sailed dangerous waters from The Pacific to The Straits of Juan de Fuca, without knowing how to swim, because she knew how much Red loved sailing - in freezing waters that churn. Terrified, she would wear two life vests and stay below reading cookbooks like novels. She would do anything for her guy and he would do anything for her. They were life of the many parties.

After Red passed away, Carol continued her globe-trotting and maintained her Platinum Elite 1K status with United - that means she was a one million miler. In 2008, when United bought Continental Airlines, Carol stopped talking for 8 whole minutes. The world ended. She thought the service would never be the same and she would be robbed of her miles and Presidents Club Status, but that never happened. She continued to bake endless cakes and hand out her famous peanut brittle to any and all airline employees - especially the bartenders - whom she knew by name.

More than anything though, Carol loved her beautiful daughter Tracy, and was so proud of her. She dragged her little girl (Carol’s spitting image) with her everywhere she went and taught her the finer lessons in life. They built and managed a hotel, The Terra Cotta Inn, and furnished it with their findings from Mexico City and other parts of the world. They took cooking classes, spent summers in Washington State and offered one another much comfort through the years. Carol once wrote to Tracy, “As you sail on golden clouds and diamond stars, always remember the pride, joy and happiness you bring to my life. Your accomplishments are wonderful to watch and I am so very proud to be your Mom”.

Carol was smart and interesting and she loved people. She had a wicked sense of humor, could read a map upside down, and could out walk anyone in NYC. She was a pastel artist, attended the 1959 Academy Awards (GiGi won best picture). She was Queen of the Mesquite Rodeo, a barrel racer and she could snow and cross country ski. Her last words were, “I love everybody”.

She is preceded in life by her companion, Red Bastien, and leaves behind her beloved daughter, Tracy McCutchin, and her partner Kandi Duplantis, and many, many friends.

A special thank you to Carol’s Crew: Miriam Mireles, Enid Horn, Gilla Vega and Little Bit. Your generous hearts made such a difference in our lives.

The funeral will be held Saturday, March 31st, 12 noon at

Sparkman/Hillcrest, 7405 W. Northwest Highway, Dallas, Texas, 75225

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Carol's name to:

The Dallas Foundation, 3963 Maple Avenue, Suite 390, Dallas, Texas 75219.