Carole Ann Bryan

Carole Ann Bryan, 67, passed away on January 1, 2014, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, after suffering from complications related to acute leukemia. She bravely fought that battle for four months. She was born on February 12, 1946, in Highland Park, Illinois, to Robert and Ardyth Haws. Carole grew up in Hinsdale, Illinois and graduated from Hinsdale Township High School. She then attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, where she received a bachelor of Science in Education degree. She taught grade school after graduation, but her primary occupation was always housewife and mother. Carole married Bill Bryan in 1969. They were happily married for over 44 years. Carole was a very active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and president of Ladies Guild for many years. She helped with the yearly Sacred Heart Multicultural Festival and with a number of other activities year in and year out. Despite being legally blind since her teenage years she was always busy. She was particularly good at setting up and arranging even the most minute details that come up in every endeavor. Her memory for detail was phenomenal and was heavily relied upon by her family. Her faith in Jesus Christ has always been very strong, and she was a powerhouse of prayer for her family, friends, and community. Loving God and loving and serving her family and friends were her greatest joys in life. Her two granddaughters were very special to her. She loved to read talking books in her spare time, particularly Catholic works, prayers, and nonfiction of all kinds. Due to her vision loss, she relied on the telephone to stay close to a large network of family and friends. The house is very quiet without her talking books and telephone calls softly murmuring in the background. Carole is survived by her husband, Bill; her mother, Ardyth Haws; her daughter, Julie Bryan; her son, Danny Bryan and wife, Tracy; brother Warren Haws and wife Cheryl; brother Bill Haws and wife Debbie; sister Chris Bauman and husband Mike; her granddaughters, Avery and Emery; and many nieces, nephews and other relatives, along with many close friends. Carole was preceded in death by her father, Robert W. Haws and brother, Robert J. Haws. A memorial mass will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Friday, January 10, 2014, at 10 a.m. This will be followed by a reception at the parish hall where everyone is welcome. A graveside service will be held at Ridgewood Cemetery in Des Plaines, Illinois, later in the year. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial donations be made to Heartbeat Pregnancy Center 621 Russell Blvd., Nacogdoches, TX 75965, or, http://www.hospiceofeasttexas.org. Condolences may be left on the obituary section of the website of the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel.
This obituary was originally published in The Daily Sentinel.