Carolyn Crosswhite Drewry

Carolyn Crosswhite Drewry, 69, of Knoxville, Tenn., died on Friday morning, June 12, 2009, while vacationing at Sanibel Island, Fla. A native of Salem, Va., she was preceded in death by her parents, Jack C. and Eloise W. Crosswhite; and a son, Gary E. Drewry. She is survived by a son, Kyle and his wife, Penny; and twin granddaughters, Chloe and Lily, of Chicago, Ill. Additional surviving family members are brothers, Jack Crosswhite and wife, Bettie, of Radford and Robert Crosswhite and wife, Linda, of Richmond, Va.; two sisters, Connie Sinha and husband, Birandra, of Cary, N.C., and Anita Steenwerth and husband, Jim, of Del Mar, Calif. Carolyn retired from a long teaching career in Special Education in the Knoxville School System. In retirement she continued her creativity in crafts and writing poetry for family and friends on special occasions. She enjoyed traveling and meeting new people throughout her life. Her neighbors and friends at the senior center in Knoxville added "sunshine" to her life. She was known for having a good time, a sense of humor and her love of dancing. She never failed to give encouragement and love to her nieces and nephews as they matured. During this last year of her life, she became a doting grandmother of twin granddaughters who brought her great happiness. A service celebrating her life will be held 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, 2009, at Lotz Funeral Home in Salem. Interment will follow in Sherwood Memorial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.