Lessie Carter

Lessie Brown Carter passed away November 3, 2020, at the age of 93. She will be remembered for her independent and feisty spirit, her vivid stories and strong opinions, and her ability to talk her way into -- and out of -- anything. Lessie was born on August 15, 1927 in Yazoo City, Mississippi to Era Dale Vaughn Brown and Wallace Charles Brown. A lifelong book-lover, Lessie learned to read before she started school. She also enjoyed performing, and in her younger teen years she would sing with various bands and guitar players who played at the local movie theatre. As she got older, she organized groups of friends to go dancing at the jamboree in Jackson on Friday and Saturday nights. Lessie taught herself to jitterbug in her bedroom by listening to the radio and using her bedpost as her partner. She liked socializing with her friends and going on dates, but she didn't want to be tied down to Yazoo City. She had dreams of living and working in the big city of Jackson. Lessie's parents both passed away when she was in high school, and she lived with Ruby and C.B. Laster while she finished school. After graduation, she moved to Jackson and worked as a secretary in several downtown offices and the VA Hospital. On a trip to visit her sister Virgie in Louisiana, Lessie met Stanley Carter. She transferred to work as a secretary at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, Louisiana, and married Stanley on June 19, 1948. She and Stanley moved into a house in Dixie Inn, Louisiana. On January 29, 1951, her daughter Carmen was born. Lessie stopped working during her pregnancy, but after Carmen was born, she briefly worked as a supervisor at the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant in Minden. Her second child, Karen Yvonne, was born November 30, 1954. Lessie said her greatest accomplishment was being a mother. In 1961, Lessie and her family moved from Louisiana to Irving, Texas, where they lived for fifty years. She often sewed handmade clothes for her daughters and their dolls, and also enjoyed baking biscuits, cornbread, and chocolate cream pie. Although she dealt with hearing loss, she delighted in lively music and dancing. Lessie took courses in creative writing at North Lake College in Irving after her children were grown. In her later years, she went to the library nearly every day, and she read widely and deeply. Lessie was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Irving for many years. Her faith was of great importance to her, and she read her Bible and prayed daily. She believed that the spirit of God has always been and always will be, and she relied on this belief to carry and guide her throughout her life. Lessie is predeceased by her husband of 62 years, Stanley Carter. She is survived by two daughters: Carmen Mulraney and Karen Yvonne Carlyle, five grandchildren: Jennifer Davis, Jonathan Carlyle, Byron Mulraney, Andes Ward, and Ian Mulraney, and three great-grandchildren: Caroline, Audrey, and Lila Davis. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Gibsland, Louisiana. Graveside services will be held after the funeral at Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Mount Lebanon, Louisiana. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association http://www.alz.org/