LOLA JEAN CARLON

1941 - 2022

LOLA JEAN (CLARK) CARLON Lola Jean (Clark) Carlon lived a joyous, dedicated, loving, giving, enthusiastic life for 81 years on this earth before graduating gloriously to her heavenly home on October 26, 2022. There are many wonderful things that can be said about her - but first and foremost Jean Carlon loved and served her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with all her heart for many, many years. Being a Christian was her primary role, and she embraced it wholeheartedly with dedication, joy, and diligence. Her walk with the Lord greatly influenced how she approached her next priorities as wife and mother. She dedicated much time, energy, and effort to those roles as well - praying earnestly, listening, paying attention to needs, and always supporting. She enriched family life by preparing delicious meals and snacks, coming up with fun and creative things to do, celebrating enthusiastically the holidays, events, accomplishments, and milestones of life....even decorating her home inside and out each month to highlight current seasons, themes, or holidays. She was always working to bring joy, to encourage, to support, and to uplift the people around her. Jeanne was a helper, routinely noticing intuitively the needs of others and working to help meet them - sometimes in sweet and simple ways and other times in great depth. A dedicated prayer warrior, she prayed diligently for so many of you through the years. Often she felt directed at just the right time to call someone asking if there was something specific she could pray with them about, or reaching out to comfort, encourage, share joy, or maybe even drop off a glass of fresh home-brewed iced tea to let someone know that she and the Lord cared about them. (Matthew 10:42) A wonderfully creative and talented cook, she delighted many with her fried cornbread, fried potatoes, green beans, fresh strawberry cake, and most of all her amazingly delicious and unique fried tacos. If asked about her favorite pastimes, Jean would generally respond that she really enjoyed cooking and feeding friends and family. It brought her joy. Always full of fun, her joyful exuberance was contagious. When she read in the newspapers or Rural Arkansas, or other publications about a new restaurant, a new point of interest, or a new event she would excitedly exclaim, "We need to go there!" Interested, enthusiastic, and inquisitive, she was always up for a new adventure. Throughout her lifetime, she taught various Sunday School classes, served as a Children's Church leader, as director of Vacation Bible Schools, was President of Christian Women's Club of Carroll County, active in Women's Aglow, and helpful in many other organizations. Also working at various jobs through the years, she made many lifelong friends. But then, she made many friends throughout her life that (in her mind) were like family. She was a proud member of the Wonderview Class of 1959 and spoke often of how special her group of classmates were to her. She loved her family, she loved her friends, she loved her neighbors - she just loved. Her bright, beautiful smile was a gift she gave to others. Even during the toughest days of her 10-year battle with cancer, her bright steadfast smile remained. During the hardest days of her battle, her hospital oncologist told her that he was inspired by her. "I look at your scans, Mrs. Carlon, and I know how very much pain you are in - but every time I enter your room you are smiling." She kept her smile right to the end. Born on April 16, 1941, in Cleveland, Arkansas, she was the oldest child born to Clifford "Joe" and Lillian (Scroggins) Clark. Her marriage to her high school sweetheart, John Carlon lasted 48 years until his death in 2012. Their family was completed by the birth of their only child, Lisa Gail Carlon. Jeanne is survived by her daughter, Lisa; her sister and brother-in-law, Helen (Jerry) Morrison; niece, Amy (Shawn) Fecher; step-brothers, Gerald Fulbright and James Bucko; step-sisters, Trenda Strouse and Nora Brooks; and an incredible host of family, friends, classmates, and neighbors whom she cared about so very deeply. Two separate celebrations of Jean's life will be held to honor her memory. The first will be Wednesday, November 2, at 5:00 p.m. at Smith Family Funeral Home in Green Forest, Arkansas. The second will be Thursday, November 3rd, at 11:00 a.m. at the Hattieville, Arkansas Baptist Church, with Bro. Billy Burris officiating both services. Interment will follow at Old Hickory Cemetery in Old Hickory, Arkansas.