Carol Ann Kaiser

Carol, born to Ima Joan (Bryant) and E.O. Derryberry in Burkburnett, Texas, lived a long and adventurous life. As a child she lived in several parts of north Texas, including Waxahachie, Fort Worth and Dallas. She credits the nuns at Ursuline Academy in Dallas with teaching her needlework and self-discipline.

She lived in Japan with her mother and step-father, Herb Baker, as part of his assignment with the post-war occupation army in 1945. After returning to the U.S., Carol graduated from Little Rock High School in Arkansas and then enrolled in the Baptist Hospital nursing program in Little Rock. She received her RN and began to work with one of the state’s few neurosurgeons as his top surgical nurse. In the course of their work together, Carol would fly around Arkansas to assist with surgeries for patients who could not come to Little Rock.

She met her husband, Owen Kaiser, through mutual friends in nursing training while he was home from college and they married in November, 1955. After a brief time in St. Louis, Carol and Owen moved to Hurst, TX and began their family. Sons John, David, and Mike all came in rapid succession. Owen got an opportunity to take a work assignment in Milan, Italy and Carol bravely packed up three small boys and flew there to live for over 2 years. There, daughter Kathryn arrived in 1962, and Carol told the doctor that if it was another boy the child was going to be given to him. Carol always had a sense of humor that spread to her family and all who knew her.

After the family returned to Hurst, Owen continued to work at Bell Helicopter until he retired, and Carol became a school nurse with the HEB school district after a brief time at Glenview Hospital working as a part time nurse. Carol retired from the school district after 20+ years taking care of thousands of HEB school children in her special way.

Carol and Owen retired to Mena, AR in 1994 and had the best time of their lives enjoying small town life. They returned to Texas in 2013 to be close to family. Owen passed away in 2022 in Keller. Carol is survived by her four children, and daughters in law Debbie (David) and Marie (Mike). She also leaves five grandchildren, Tom (and his wife Michelle), Sam, Curtis, Steven, and Andi. Carol was also an unofficial grandmother to Ana Júlia Pinto, an exchange student from Brazil hosted by Kathryn, and great-grandmother to her daughter Mariana. Carol leaves a long list of friends and neighbors who will miss her love, humor and extensive vocabulary shaped by her life-long love of reading and crossword puzzles.

The family is grateful to all the nurses and other caregivers who helped support Carol during her last months. Memorial gifts may be made to her church, Trinity Presbyterian in Southlake (trinitysouthlake.org), Texas; Operation Kindness Humane Society in Carrollton, Texas (operationkindness.org/make-a-memorial-gift/); or a charity of your choice.

A memorial service will be held at 10 am on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1452 W. Southlake Blvd., Southlake, TX 76092. A light lunch will be served afterward.