Carrie Paschal

On May 30, 1937, Carrie Mae Curry was born to Lillie and George Wylie Curry in Magnolia, Arkansas. Carrie was the youngest of 8 siblings and the only surviving child of Lillie and George Curry. Carrie(aka Sal) enjoyed growing up in the country in Arkansas. She loved riding her horse and playing with her dog, "Midnight". At 16, she would meet the love of her life and future husband, Hozie Paschal, at a soda shop in Muskegon, MI. (1953). Carrie was visiting relatives for the summer, but as luck would have it, they were both from the same place in Arkansas! Carrie would return to Arkansas at the end of the summer but they kept in touch!
Their long-distance romance would continue and they would finally marry on July 27, 1957. They would stay together for the next 63 years- for better or worse, in sickness and in health, producing 5 lovely children, 4 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren.
Even though she had a large family, Carrie was fiercely independent working as a seamstress, a substitute teacher and finally as checker for the Commissary store on Mare Island Naval Base, where she would become Front-End Supervisor then Store Manager.
She was the first woman, first African American, and first Non-Commissioned Officer to claim the title of Store Manager in the entire Navy! She would go on to retire from civil service after a 25 year long career.
Carrie was preceded in passing by her husband, Hozie Lee Paschal, and survived by her five children, Deborah, Harold, Sandra, Carla, and Ronald, 7 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.