Carolyn Ann Kelsey
1947 – 2020
Carolyn Ann (Sundling) Kelsey passed away March 5, 2020 in Mercy Hospital after an extended illness. Her husband of 51 years and 11 months, Lyle Kelsey, and their daughter, Crystal Kelsey, were with her. Numerous other family members and friends were present with prayers of comfort and support in her final hours. Carolyn was born on the 17 th of December, 1947, in Akron, Colorado to Harold and Katherine (Resler) Sundling. She grew up with a family of eight children on a wheat farm where she joined her siblings participating in the usual daily chores. She specifically remembered the summer wheat harvest days with truckloads of out of state workers to handle the farm's wheat harvest. Those were long days of preparing meals and washing dishes (she dried) for the all the workers. In her time off from chores and school, Carol got lost in her love of animals with the farm cats and dogs and especially her favorite… the family horse, Dusty. She imagined a time when she would be a star barrel racer at the Akron county fair. Years later in Edmond, with her own horse, Lucky, she proved she could still ride bare-back with the best of professional riders. During her high school years, she excelled educationally and socially. She was a cheerleader, voted prettiest girl by her classmates, and crowned homecoming queen her senior year.
After high school, she decided to further her education by enrolling at York Christian College in York, Nebraska. Again, during her two years in college she was a cheerleader and crowned sorority sweetheart. After she graduated with an associate's degree, this pretty farm girl from Colorado set her sights on a big adventure to Los Angeles, California in December of 1967 where she lived with her older brother, Philip and his wife in Glendale. Since she had a strong faith and sense of church membership, she decided on a Church of Christ close by in Glendale. The first day in Bible class, Lyle Kelsey met the most beautiful smile punctuated by the prettiest set of dimples and the hunt was over for the girl of his dreams. She would talk about how she remembered the handsome guy serving communion to her that same Sunday. Their first date was to Disneyland in his bright red 1967 Plymouth Satellite with Roy Orbison singing on the 8-track player. Carol was cautious and very picky about who she dated but she made an exception for Lyle. Within three months, they were engaged, and married two weeks after their engagement in the Glendale Church. This beautiful young lady embarked on a whole new set of adventures and she didn't look back. She was a well-grounded believer and looked to God for guidance everywhere she went. The next few years were interrupted by Lyle's stint in the U.S. Army in Ft. Lewis Washington during Vietnam. Carol never wavered from her commitment to see everything through – with a very strong obligation to her marriage and a reliance on God to make it all work… and God did.
Following their time in Washington state, Carol and Lyle decided to move to a brand new home and future in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They were ready to make their own life together away from immediate families and leave the Army life behind them. They grew closer together and to God when they found their church home at the Edmond Church of Christ. Because she was a real self -starter and entrepreneur, she began taking on projects with a fervor at their church. She was very involved and chaired the Women's Ministry for several years, taught Bible classes and spoke at many ladies' luncheons and prayer meetings. Additionally, she was a huge support to her husband in the youth ministry, then in adult Bible classes, when he served as a deacon, and currently as an elder.
It was after moving to Oklahoma that Carolyn would begin her greatest journey and one that she would constantly say was her greatest gift, becoming a mother. Their daughter, Crystal Lynn, was born a few years after settling into their new home. Carol would tell the story of how teeny tiny Crystal was and how hard it was for her to leave her new baby at the hospital for several weeks, as Crystal arrived six weeks early. (It would become a running joke that was the only time Crystal was early for anything.) She constantly worried and prayed about her daughter's health, along with finding a nice boy to marry. Carol and her daughter were opposites in so many ways but are far more alike than either of them had ever imagined. She was the mother Crystal needed in every way, most importantly she would demonstrate to (and remind often) Crystal of Christ's example of being kind and loving to others.
Carol Kelsey was the most wonderful wife and mother. She loved to cook for friends, family, and truly enjoyed entertaining friends and family with fancy dinners, folded cloth napkins, and warm table settings… the works! She was a professional seamstress and taught sewing classes for years in Oklahoma City. Carol established and operated the Satin Stitch Embroidery business in Edmond for several years. She was a successful real estate agent for 25 years, serving with Edmond real estate agencies of Century 21, Prudential, and Church-Hill Brown. She was very artistic and enjoyed painting and drawing in her youth. Later, she would express her creativity by incorporating her love of scripture with her love of sweet images and would frame them for friends and loved ones. She would make little books of scriptures to give to people who were in the hospital or needed encouragement. Carol was always thinking of others and became very industrious in finding ways to serve.
As if all that were not enough… she was a member of the NRA. (Yes, really.)
But most of all, Carolyn Kelsey was loved by everyone who met her and will be greatly missed by so many.
*Her family would like to thank those doctors and nurses who cared for Carol during these past several years, but especially during this last year.
In lieu of Flowers…
Memorial contributions to be made to The Cancer Society, The Heart Association, & the In Search of the Lord's Way Program/Edmond Church of Christ
Services will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at the Edmond Church of Chris (801 S. Bryant). Family visitation will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at Matthews Funeral Home Chapel from 5:00-7:00 p.m.