Carol Janet Thurman

Memorial service for Carol Janet Thurman was 1 pm, Saturday, January 28, 2017 at Lifechanger Church in Claremore. Pastor Ted Estes officiated.

Carol passed away on January 22, 2017 at the age of 74.

Carol Thurman was born to Joseph Houston and Pearl Wilson Houston on November 20, 1942, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.She was raised by her parents in the Turley area, where she attended Central High School, and met and married Milton Simmons, with whom she had four sons. Over the next several years, Carol and her family moved around the country to places such as Atlanta, Irving, and Tulsa, while following work for Delta Airlines. In 1971, Carol remarried Ron Thurman, making their home with her four children around Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Owasso, and the Grand Lake area, before moving to Claremore in 1992.

Carol was blessed with a mind for business and was a self-taught accountant. Her husband Ron owned several businesses over the course of their marriage, in which she ran the daily operations. Carol’s work ethic and attention to detail enabled her to enjoy successful employment with companies such as Hahn Appliance and Pepsi Co.

The same work ethic and attention to detail manifested itself in her hobbies as well. Carol enjoyed sewing, tailoring, quilting, and ceramics. Carol’s giving spirit touched the lives of her family and friends through giving customized gifts with each individual in mind. Her passion, however, was always quilting, which was passed down from her mother. Carol was an accomplished quilter, regularly submitting her quilts to regional fairs and shows, winning 8 First Place, 7 Second Place, 7 Third Place awards, and 22 Honorable Mentions. Carol was always happy sharing her knowledge and passion of quilting and was a very active member of the Country Fare Quilters Guild, of which she had once served as president. Carol’s other passion was genealogy. Her close ties to her family led her to a desire to understand her heritage, and she was always excited to share new discoveries in her family tree. When she was not quilting or cataloging genealogy finds, Carol enjoyed the outdoors, visiting with her many friends, reading, and playing with her dogs.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Pearl Houston; husband Milton Simmons, and brothers, Richard and James Houston.
Survivors included her sons, Tim and Linda Simmons of Claremore, Cary and Brenda Simmons of Moore, Rod and Gina Simmons of Claremore, and Bryan and Tressea Thurman of Sapulpa; grandchildren, Angela LeGrand, Matthew Simmons, Amy Boatwright, Drew Simmons, Canon Simmons, Houston Simmons, Seth Pierce, Rae Mumford, Ryan Simmons, Holly Golden, Nicholi Simmons, Christia Simmons, Marie Thurman, Tammy West, Bryan Thurman, Michael Thurman, Kayla Stanley and Kristopher Thurman; 33 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.

View and sign Carol's online memorial at www.mmsfuneralhomes.com