Carolyn Allene Smith Wilson's Obituary
Carolyn Allene Smith Wilson, 95, passed away peacefully at her home in Keller, Texas, on June 29, 2026.
A celebration of her life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, in the Wildwood Chapel at Restland Memorial Park, visitation at 9:30 a.m..
Carolyn was born on January 22, 1931, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Leo A. and Jewell Davis Smith. She spent most of her life in Dallas, Texas, where she graduated as valedictorian of Sunset High School before attending Baylor University to study education.
She married the love of her life, Joel F. Wilson, and the newlyweds spent more than a year in Hawaii while Joel was stationed there with the U.S. Army. After teaching school briefly, Carolyn dedicated herself to raising her children. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
A lifelong servant at heart, Carolyn faithfully invested in the lives of children. She served as a Camp Fire leader for eleven years and, beginning in 1961, taught four- and five-year-olds and later first graders in Sunday school. Teaching children about God's love remained one of her greatest joys, and she continued serving in that ministry for more than six decades.
Carolyn was a member of First Baptist Church in Keller and the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1985, she and Joel moved to Poynor, Texas, where they enjoyed many happy years together, raising cattle, traveling the world with friends, and hosting countless family reunions for aunts, uncles, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Joel F. Wilson, and her parents, Leo A. and Jewell Davis Smith.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Lisa Wilson of Athens, Texas; her daughter, Laurel Wilson of Keller, Texas; and her daughter and son-in-law, Leanna and Gary Ellis of Keller, Texas. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Melissa Wilson Kipnis and her husband, Shawn, of Dallas, Texas; Katy Wilson Kirksey and her husband, Holden, of Shady Shores, Texas; Dr. Graham Ellis of Tyler, Texas; and Caroline Ellis and her husband, Gabriel Druzian De Jose, of Jersey City, New Jersey. She was also blessed with two great-grandchildren, June and Wilson Kirksey.
Carolyn will be remembered for her unwavering faith, treasured friendships, love for children, and steadfast devotion to her family. Her greatest desire was to love the Lord and serve others. The generations of children she taught and loved over more than six decades are among the greatest legacies she leaves behind.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to Black Beauty Ranch in Carolyn's memory.
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