Carmen Marie Crowsey

Carmen Crowsey of Whitesboro passed away at the age of 56, on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at her home after a short time under hospice care.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 2:00 PM Monday, January 24, 2022 at St Mary’s Catholic Church with Fr. John Pacheco officiating.  A Rosary followed by visitation will be on Sunday starting at 2:00 PM at Geo. J. Carroll & Son Funeral Home.

Her ashes will be privately interred at a later date at Nelson Grove Cemetery in Woodbine.

Carmelita Marie (Schmitz) Crowsey was born on September 13, 1965 to John & Albina (Mages) Schmitz of Gainesville at the Gainesville Memorial Hospital.  She was named after Sister Carmelita Myers, O.S.B., who was her mother’s favorite teacher from her 8th grade school days at Sacred Heart in Muenster.  Carmen’s Godparents were her Uncle Edgar Mages and Aunt Gertrude (Schmitz) Horn.  When Carmen became an aunt for the first time, she chose the name “MiMi” for her nieces and nephews to call her by.

She grew up on Fair Avenue, attending kindergarten at St Mary’s School and Lindsay ISD during her elementary years.  Carmen graduated from Gainesville High School in 1984, where she played basketball on varsity all four years, participated in track, and cheered on the Leopards as the school mascot.  Carmen continued her education at North Central Texas College in Gainesville and the University of North Texas in Denton, graduating cum laude in Dec 1989, receiving her Bachelors of Education.  She spent most of her career in elementary education, teaching at Denison ISD for a short while and then at Rad Ware Elementary in Woodbine.

Thirty-three years ago, toward the end of her college years Carmen was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent several surgeries.  Most of her adult life she continued with follow-up appointments.  Sadly, in 2005, there was a reoccurrence of another tumor.  Over the years, she faced numerous health challenges, surgeries, and hospital stays, but stayed true to her faith and put the outcome in GOD’s hands.  She was not one to complain about her situation, but on occasion would let you know that some frozen donuts or Sandy Schmitz’s banana pudding would sure be good.

Carmen and Brad Crowsey met for the first time as toddlers, when several mothers with little ones attended a gathering.  A picture was taken of four toddlers sitting together.  Little could their mothers imagine that one day there would be a union of that little Schmitz baby girl and that Crowsey baby boy in the photo.  Carmen and Brad dated in their early 20’s and they were engaged in October of 1990, and married at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Gainesville, TX on August 3, 1991.  She and Brad made their home in Whitesboro where they lived their entire 30 years of marriage.  Ten years after they married, in October of 2001, one month after 9/11, they ventured off on a journey to Ivanovo, Russia to adopt a little girl. On a second trip, in April of 2002, they brought their 14 pound, 14 month old daughter, Victoria Marie, home to Texas.

In the past few years, all the battles that Carmen fought slowly took a toll on her health and getting around had become more difficult.  She spent a short time in assisted living, enduring the isolation of Covid-19 restrictions, but was able to return to her home one year ago in January of 2021.  Her husband Brad has devoted their entire married life to her care.  Over their years together they enjoyed attending Victoria’s school activities, road trips to Caddo Lake, traveling with family to several states, many Friday evenings crossing over the Willis Bridge to go eat catfish, and frequent drives around the countryside near their home.  Most recently, she was able to attend the wedding of her daughter to Matthew Smith, son of Paul & Angela Smith of Woodbine on the 4th of July.

Even with all the hardships Carmen experienced, she still found joy in so much.  Blessed with beauty, and a mile-long smile, she had a sense of style and attention to detail in her appearance.  She always dressed neatly, and especially loved shoes, purses, and jewelry, often noticing and complimenting others when something caught her eye.  Carmen looked forward to going shopping with her sister, Quita, who frequently took her on a sisters day out, getting a mani/pedi was a favorite outing.   She took pride in her beautiful handwriting and sent Christmas cards out up until the last couple years.

Carmen spoke her mind, and held her ground, that trait never left her.  She had a keen, unintentional sense of wit.  She did not hold court, and was not necessarily looking for the perfect moment to interject, but she sure could toss out a zinger that would make everyone laugh.  It was always a joy to spend time with her.

Carmen is survived by her loving husband, Brad Crowsey, their daughter, Victoria Smith, and son-in-law Matthew Smith, all of Whitesboro.  She is also survived by her mother Albina Schmitz, sister MaQuita Gossett and husband, Doug, brothers John Schmitz and wife Sandy, Steve Schmitz and wife Misty, all of Gainesville, and Joe Schmitz and wife Annette of Lindsay, sisters-in-law, Tammi Crowsey, Penny Crowsey Tibbets, and Patti Holt and husband, Robert, all of Gainesville, numerous nieces and nephews, many cousins, several aunts and an uncle.  Carmen shared a decades long special friendship with her kindergarten classmate, Julie (Duffy) Dulek, of Tulsa, OK.

All of Carmen’s family appreciates the attentive care she received over this past year by her caregivers, Cindy Hernandez and Judy Drake, and the constant 24-hour care from Patti Holt over the past two weeks.

Carmen was preceded in death by her father, John Henry Schmitz in 2004, mother-in-law Shirley Crowsey and her husband Ancil Crowsey, father-in-law J.W. Trisler, and several cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Carmen was a lifelong member of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Gainesville TX.

She selected Saint Celestine for her confirmation name of Celestine, after a favorite paternal aunt who Carmen was especially close to, her father’s sister, Aunt “Sally” Celestine Schmitz Theimer.

Those who would like to make a donation in her memory may consider St Mary’s School, Home Hospice of Cooke County, or the American Cancer Society.