Carol Ann Sayles

Carol Ann Sayles, 58, was born in Coleman, Texas, in 1951, and departed to be with our Lord on April 22, 2009, in Fort Worth, after a four year courageous battle against lung cancer. A Memorial Service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Stephenville, TX on Saturday, April 25, 2009, at 1:00 pm., with Reverend Dean Reed officiating, under direction of Stephenville Funeral Home. Another celebration of Carol's life will be held at a future date and time. Carol grew up in Abilene, Coleman and Brownwood, Texas. She graduated Brownwood High School in 1968. She graduated Texas Tech University and then launched into a lifelong career and passion of travelling the world, accumulating an extraordinary amount of friends of many cultures. She lived in Mexico City teaching English in a local university and in 1976 lived briefly in Peru. Arriving back in the states, she settled briefly in Houston, TX, before embarking on an eight year career as a flight attendant with Pan American Airways, stationed in Honolulu. After leaving Pan Am she spent several years as an antique textile dealer, doing shows and workshops across the United States and England. In the late l980's Carol once again returned to Houston, where she spent 11 years in health care administration at M.D. Anderson Hospital, and was instrumental in the startup of their international program. In l998 she packed her bags again and headed to Boston, to become director of the international program at Children's Hospital in Boston, where she remained until she became unable to work due to illness and returned to Texas to family and friends. Carol then began focusing on becoming an advocate with Lung Cancer Alliance, and never quit networking with her many, many friends across the world. She will be greatly missed by all of us, but her spirit will always be with us. She leaves behind her sister, Cathey (Sayles) Gillespie and husband, Joe Wiley Gillespie of Stephenville; much loved niece and nephew, Jennifer Gillespie White and Joseph Gillespie, and their families, Steven, Gracie and Garrett White of Fort Worth and Jodi, Josh, Chelsea, and Jacob Gillespie of Stephenville, beloved aunt, JoJo (Jo Ann King) and husband John C. King of Brenham, and beloved uncle Bill Cathey of Midland, and many loved cousins, and friends around the world. She is preceded in death by our beloved mother, Edna LeMay (Cathey) Sayles and her father, Henry Linn Sayles, a member of one of the pioneer families of Abilene; grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. W. B. Cathey of Coleman, TX and Mr. & Mrs. Mac Sayles, Lake Abilene, Texas; and numerous aunts and uncles. Although not related by blood, she was also preceded by Karan Hancock, sister in love and faith. The family would like to thank her extended family and friends for their love and support, her doctors, Dr. Pasi Janne in Boston, Dr. Jane Shiller, Dallas and Dr. Gregory Phillips in Fort Worth. We would also like to thank VITAS Hospice in Fort Worth, TX and the wonderful hospice unit nurses at Baylor All Saints in Fort Worth. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, remembrances be made to the Lung Cancer Alliance, or Dana Farber Cancer Institute lung cancer research program under the direction of Dr. Pasi Janne at the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, Boston, Ma.