Carol G. Darrow
Carol Ann Gentry Darrow ascended to her heavenly home Friday, Sept. 26, 2014, while gazing lovingly at her husband of 53 years. Her long battle with Alzheimer's ended just two days after her 75th birthday. Memorial service: A reception will be held at noon Saturday at Arborlawn United Methodist Church, 5001 Briarhaven Road, Fort Worth, followed by a memorial service. Interment: will be private. Memorials: Donations in her honor may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or Gentiva Hospice. As a child, Carol moved frequently with her father's job as an Allstate insurance executive. She honed her ability to relate to all people instantly and warmly, traits learned from being the new kid over and over. Carol graduated from Baylor University with a degree in English and was named a Delta Alpha Pi Baylor Beauty. A week later she married the love of her life, Raymond Darrow. They lived in New York and then Germany, where Carol gave birth to her first child, Melinda. With her usual fortitude and zest for life, Carol weathered the record cold European winter, the unfamiliar language and the trials of new parenthood far from home. Subsequently, Carol and Raymond settled in Fort Worth, where their second child, Stephen, was born. Carol reared the children while serving as a Sunday school teacher, vestry person and guild member at St. Christopher Episcopal Church, president of the Architects' Wives Club, member of the Junior Woman's Club and member of the Rejebian Book Club. For years she worked as an aide at Fort Worth Country Day Lower School, where she continued to charm everyone with her humor and compassion. Later, Carol took courses at Tarrant County College and served on the board of its Senior Education Program. But as everyone who knew her can attest, Carol's greatest passion was dancing. At the age of 3, she put on her first pair of dancing shoes and never took them off. She performed in Junior Woman's Club annual shows as well as directing and choreographing countless Mardi Gras shows at St. Christopher's church, where she taught numerous men and women to dance. Carol took up belly dancing as a hobby and shortly became a professional at it, dancing for parties and events under her stage name "Phaedra" and even teaching belly dance to female inmates at Tarrant County Federal Corrections Institute. Carol and Raymond always cleared the floor at parties, dances and weddings with their samba, waltz and jitterbug. Carol's effusive love for life and kindness toward others will be deeply missed. The family extends thanks to caregiver Melinda Rodriguez and Gentiva Hospice. Carol was preceded in death by her parents and many friends and relatives who no doubt, along with St. Peter, are lining up now for a dance number she will direct. Published in Star-Telegram on Oct. 2, 2014