of North Little Rock, AR

April 14, 1938 - November 13, 2022

Mrs. Carolyn Speer of North Little Rock, Arkansas went to Heaven on Sunday, November 13, 2022.

Mrs. Speer is survived by her brother, Richard Carr of Elk City, Oklahoma; one daughter, Melissa Speer of Dallas, Texas; two sons, Phillip Speer of North Little Rock and Michael Speer of Edmond, OK; one daughter- in-law, Tanya Speer; four grandchildren, Michael, Dalton, Parker and Hayden and one great grandson, Xavier.

Mrs. Speer was preceded in death by her parents, Horace and Gladys Carr; as well as her sister, Lynda Paxton-Carr of Elk City, Oklahoma. Carolyn was born Gladys Carolyn Speer on April 14, 1938 in Elk City, Oklahoma.

Carolyn had a lifelong love of learning and reading that started in her early years, as she would visit the library every week and leave with a tall stack of books to devour until the next visit. In every home she and her husband lived in, they had bookshelves filled to the brim with books of all genres. She played French horn in the high school band, which she considered a wonderful experience. When she graduated from Elk City High School, she began attending Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma and was introduced to her future husband, J. Dean Speer by a friend for a blind date. They often spent hours in the parlor of her dormitory talking and playing cards, getting to know one another. Before graduating, she left school and moved to Oklahoma City to begin working at Tinker Air Force Base and then soon after, she and Dean rekindled their relationship and were married, relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

After her three children arrived, each two years apart in age, she and Dean moved to Arkansas in 1975 where, after a time of focusing on raising her children, Carolyn began a fulfilling career of serving the public as a customer service representative at the IRS. She and Dean were charter members of the YMCA in North Little Rock and were instrumental in its beginnings.

Then the opportunity arose for Carolyn and Dean to promote to their respective federal government agencies in Washington DC in the summer of 1990. Carolyn was promoted within the IRS and was a skilled and sought-after speaker throughout the DC area, including Virginia and Maryland. Carolyn loved the hustle and bustle of the Washington DC area and she traveled throughout the eastern United States during her time there. She also was fascinated with the Civil War and traveled to many battleground cities. After 20 plus years, she retired and moved back to Arkansas with Dean and back into their home in North Little Rock. For years after she retired, she continued to use her knowledge about tax law to volunteer to assist low-income individuals file their tax returns.

Carolyn was a woman of unwavering loyalty to her family and her friends. She was a friendly, bright and compassionate person, unless she was playing bridge. On those occasions she was as competitive a player as you ever saw and showed no sympathy nor mercy to her opponents and coyly smiled when she had the opportunity to "shoot the moon". She enjoyed all card games and spending time at the lake house she and Dean owned on Greer's Ferry Lake. Her favorite pastime there was driving just as fast as her jet ski would take her.

Carolyn was a loving mother and wife and was a member of Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock, AR and volunteered for years to teach the 2-year-old Sunday School class. After that season of service ended, she became an active member of her adult Sunday School class. She loved to sing in church, but was not fond of her singing voice. In the past she has said she was looking forward to going to Heaven one day, because there her voice would be beautiful and there she could sing with the Angels.

A memorial visitation will be held from 10:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M. Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at Roller-Owens Funeral Home in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of your choice.

Obituary Provided By:
Roller-Owens Funeral Home
5509 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
North Little Rock, AR  72116
www.rollerfuneralhomes.com