Sarah Carolyn Martin's Obituary
MARTIN, SARAH CAROLYN WILLIS passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009. Carolyn was born September 3, 1926 in Holtville, California to Robert Vance Willis and Lorraine Bailey Willis of Lone Oak, Texas. She and her brother Robert Bailey Willis were raised in Lone Oak by her aunt and uncle Mabel and Fred Willis after her mother’s death in 1930. Carolyn graduated from Lone Oak High School in 1943, and attended college in Arlington for one year before transferring to East Texas State Teacher’s College in Commerce Texas where she graduated in 1947. Her career life began in Austin, working for the Texas Legislature, but she soon moved to Dallas in 1948 to pursue opportunities as an executive secretary, then to Houston where she met and married Jerry D. Martin on March 17, 1950. Their only daughter, Karen Kay, was born there the next year, and Carolyn returned to government service, working for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at Ellington Field, Houston while Jerry pursued his degree at the University of Houston. After his graduation, Carolyn and Jerry moved to San Antonio where Carolyn continued to work at Kelly Field while Jerry’s government career as an auditor began. Their first overseas assignment to Tokyo in 1957 allowed Carolyn to utilize her top security clearance to continue to work for the government. After completing an additional assignment to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, the family returned to Texas in 1960 while Jerry worked at Bell Helicopter in Arlington for one year. In 1961, Jerry joined the Agency for International Development, and Carolyn began her second career as a foreign-service wife in Taipei, Taiwan. She taught English to members of the Legislative Yuan, the highest legislative body in the Republic of China, substituted as a math teacher at Taipei American School, and volunteered her time and talents to volunteer activities sponsored by the foreign diplomatic community. Jerry’s tenure with Civil Air Transport kept them in Taiwan until 1968 when they returned to Dallas. Carolyn joined the office of the Regional Director, Office of Civil Rights, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as an administrative assistant to the Director of OCR, and continued at HEW, then at the Department of Education, as a field investigator of complaints brought to the Department under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She was active in both Business and Professional Women, and Toastmistress Club during her Dallas years. She retired from government service in the early 1980’s, and then traveled again extensively, visiting the Soviet Union in 1987, and fitting in travels to Tahiti, Martinique, Mexico, and back to Great Britain between enjoying extended stays in Las Vegas with Jerry. Carolyn had friends all over the world; her gracious manner, hospitable warmth, and genuine interest in other people remained with her throughout her life. After Carolyn and Jerry moved to the retirement community of Broadway Plaza at City View in Fort Worth this summer, she continued to make new friends and enjoy the company of all she met. The family extends deepest thanks to Covenant Hospice and the kindness and tender care of Tahnya Green and Dana Brown during the past three months, to her chaplain Ron Ebert for spiritual sustenance, and to her final caretakers Darlene Dickerson, Rita and Dele. Carolyn will be missed by her husband Jerry, her daughter and son-in-law Karen and Chuck Cerulla of Fort Worth, and her extended family of step-grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held 2 P.M. Saturday, November 28 at the Wildwood Chapel at Restland Cemetery, service to follow at the Chapel at 3 P.M. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, please remember Carolyn with a donation to a charity of choice.
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