Helen Carolyn Woodruff Golden

The Golden Family is sad to announce the passing of HELEN CAROLYN WOODRUFF GOLDEN on February 21, 2005. Carolyn was born to Mildred Shearon Woodruff and Judge Philip Douglas Woodruff in Houston, Texas, on July 3, 1931. She grew up in Houston and attended River Oaks Elementary, Lanier Junior High, and Lamar High School. During Carolyn's junior year, artist Norman Rockwell selected her as Lamar's most beautiful girl. Carolyn entered the University of Texas and majored in fine arts. While there, she met Thomas M. Golden, an architecture student, whom she married on September 5, 1952. Being adventurers, Tom and Carolyn left the familiar environs of Texas for the Pacific Northwest where Tom sought his fortune as an architect and Carolyn embarked as a teacher. Not long after moving to Seattle, Tom was drafted into the army, and Carolyn followed him as he was transferred from base to base. When Tom was sent to Korea, Carolyn found a job at an American school in Tokyo. After Tom was discharged, the couple reunited in Japan, bought two Pan-Am Around- the-World tickets and proceeded to get their money's worth taking the long way home. In an era before packaged tours were commonly available, they traveled across Asia, Africa, and Europe, visiting exotic locales on a shoe-string budget. When they returned to Houston, Carolyn taught in the Houston public schools while Tom resumed practicing architecture. They built homes in West University and Southside where they raised three boys. Although Carolyn left teaching to raise her sons, she found time to take up upholstery, woodcarving, and silk-screening. Carolyn also accompanied Tom on trips into Mexico where they visited remote areas. On one occasion, Tom and Carolyn accompanied another couple on an expedition in a single engine aircraft where they spent a night alone on an abandoned airstrip. Carolyn later went with Tom to New Mexico where they built a beautiful adobe home in the Pecos Wilderness and Carolyn worked with watercolors and made more woodcarvings. Beyond her adventures and accomplishments, Carolyn strove to be a good neighbor, a good friend, a good daughter, a good mother, and a good wife. She attended PTA meetings, baked goodies, corrected homework, kissed boo-boos, and cheered her beloved husband and sons on. Carolyn also kept in contact with the many friends she made over the years and relished their visits. She was always interested in current events and thoroughly enjoyed the performing arts as well as the visual arts. She particularly relished the company of her husband Tom and grieved his loss in 1999. Carolyn showed a strength of will to the very end and all who knew her appreciated her courage, integrity, wit, and good humor. Carolyn is survived by her oldest son, Thomas Kevin Golden, Kevin's wife Susan Baker Golden, and their son Douglas Baker Golden; her middle son, Lloyd Woodruff Golden and his wife Elaine Christina Golden; her youngest son, Jon Christian Golden; her brother, Phil; her sister Mary Ellen and seven nephews. She will be greatly missed. The Memorial Service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 5, 2005 at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer, Houston (713) 622-5710. In lieu of flowers, friends and family may contribute to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, P.O. Box 4585, Houston, Texas 77210