Obituary of Carolyn E. Hudgins

Carolyn Edith Hudgins was different things to different people. She was known as ‘Carolyn’ to those in her newest home at The Crossings in Summerville. When she was working, her school kids called her ‘Miss Sunshine’. The Lexington County sanitation workers lovingly called her “water lady” because of her cold-water ministry to them on the hottest of days. Her parents and siblings called her ‘Edith’; her few close friends called her ‘Edie’ and her three children called her ‘Mom’. Her grandchildren and their friends all called her ‘Mama Edie’. But, her husband called her the ‘love of his life’.

If you ask anyone that knew her growing up in Dunean, they would tell you she was a perpetual housekeeper; always dusting, sweeping, cleaning, and polishing even from her earliest years. She maintained the most meticulous home as an Army wife. You better believe Saturday’s chores for her children included light bulb dusting and baseboard shining. Oh, how we loved Saturdays.

As an officer’s wife, she was expected to rear the children making sure that no embarrassment came to her husband. She maintained an impeccable home, served on local community boards, was a room mother, and PTA chair. She worked very hard on all fronts, even into the wee hours of the night. All was spick and span when she finally went to bed.

When the Army life ended, she moved into the office manager role in her husband’s optometric practice and ran it like a General. She carpooled children, taught Sunday School, and helped to build several retirement homes. In fact, she got so good at it that it became almost a hobby. She physically moved into and out of 63 home locations during her time as an adult. Friends began to wonder if she was in the witness protection program.

As her adult life progressed and home requirements waned, she returned to the one thing she had given up as a young woman: her education. Spurred on by her father’s words, “to always be a reader and a learner”, she took those words to heart and pushed through her undergraduate degree in psychology, her master’s degree in school counseling, and her ED Specialist Degree after that. She finished her formal education at the tender age of 60. Armed with new found vim and vigor she was excited to tackle the rigors of K-12 school life. What she found there was her passion. She loved her kids and they loved her.

Always the night owl, she was the only one you could call in the middle of the night. She also knew when her family was struggling and would show up at your door with groceries and a helping hand. When she was unable to attend church, she was a faithful viewer of the First Baptist Church of Columbia every Sunday morning. Ministering, at the end was praying for and encouraging those living near her.

Throughout her later adult life, poor health became a hurdle that cost her her drive to clean, organize, and work. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, for which God allowed healing as her church laid hands on her claiming her release. She underwent three cardiac bypass surgeries with a total of 9-vessels bypassed. But it was Lewy Body Dementia that eventually caused the most heartache. She suffered with hallucinations, faulty speech, worries, and losses. Those were her daily companions. She claimed Jeremiah 29:11 and tried to lean on God’s help.

She leaves behind her youngest sister Fran Paris of Greenville, SC; her children Beth (Bobby) Stokes of Blythewood, SC, Joe (Rena) Hudgins of Lugoff, SC, and Nancy (Tony) Maioriello of Goose Creek, SC; and her nine grandchildren John (Candi), Stephen (Regan), Joseph (Megan), Trace, Andrew, McKenzie, Rachel, Cierra, Ryan and six great-grandchildren Courtney, Katelyn, Mace, Payton, Kameryn, and Camden.

In lieu of flowers, the family will be accepting donations for the Kicks for Kids Program to help supply school shoes to those children at West Craven Middle School, where Candi Stokes is the school counselor. We believe this will honor the ministry our mother began for her own grandchildren through her venue of school counseling. The family will collect donations at the service, checks may also be sent to Elizabeth Stokes of 1469 Red Sunset Lane, Blythewood, SC. 29016.