Carol Cromartie

Carol Smith Cromartie went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 31, 2024, at the age of 67 in Dallas, Texas.  She bravely fought Acute Myeloid Leukemia for as long and as hard as she could.

Carol was born on August 22, 1957, at an Air Force base near Wiltshire, England to parents Jimmy Lee Smith and Pat Tinsman Smith.  She was their third daughter, following twin girls, Geneva and Grace, born 4 years prior. Seven years later, sister Cindy joined the family.

Being in an Air Force family meant moving quite a bit. Most of Carol’s earliest memories start in Ohio when she was 4 years old. It was there that she first prayed to trust Christ as her personal Savior so that she could one day go to heaven and be with Jesus.  Later at Vacation Bible school while living in Colorado Springs at the Air Force Academy, with more recognition of her own personal sin that needed forgiveness, Carol prayed to trust Jesus again to “make sure” she was saved.

When Carol’s dad retired from the Air Force, the family moved to Dallas, Texas where her dad began studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and Carol entered Lake Highlands High School where she graduated from in 1975.  After high school, Carol went to Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, where she met and became engaged to Greg Cromartie.

Carol married the love of her life on January 15, 1977, at Northwest Bible Church in Ft. Worth, Texas, where Carol’s father was pastoring at the time.  They immediately moved to Greensburg, Indiana where Greg served as assistant pastor at First Baptist Church.  While there for only a year, they loved it and made lifelong friends.

After that first married year in Greensburg, Greg and Carol moved to Dallas, Texas where they had friends and family, and Greg could pursue more schooling in Radio, TV and Film. Carol worked various jobs before children joined the family.  She worked for Culwell and Son both at storefront and in the back-office handling payroll and receivables, then for Santa Fe Minerals as an Accounting clerk and computer operator.

Being a wife and mother were Carol's favorite roles. Eventually she assumed the beloved role of “Nonny”. She adored her grandsons.

Carol was a devoted wife and mother.  She was the very definition of the words “kind,” “caring,” and “thoughtful.” Carol added to those virtues a sense of humor and joy of living that gladdened the spirits of all who met her.

While raising children, Carol worked helping Greg with his radio programs production.  She was involved in her children’s schools and active in church.  As the kids grew older, she went back to school and became a massage therapist for 7 years. In later years she worked for Garland ISD and Richardson ISD.  Her last employment was with Bain & Company, a job she felt was a gift from God in so many ways.

Cancer was an old nemesis to Carol, but each instance came with a gift.  The first cancer scare occurred in 1985 when she had a molar pregnancy.  Screenings and follow-up tests were done for a year to make sure there was no metastasis.  This event, while emotionally painful, led to one of her greatest gifts, in that Greg and Carol sought out adoption during that time.  Their daughter Laura is a precious gem that they could have missed out on had it not been for the molar pregnancy.

In January 2002, just before their 25th wedding anniversary, Carol was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.  This cancer fight involved a mastectomy, a year of chemo, radiation and more chemo, followed by a year of Herceptin to target an overexpressed gene in her cancer.  These two years were brutal for both Greg and Carol in many ways.  However, one blessing from this experience was how it renewed their marriage. They also experienced the deep love of so many friends who came to change surgical dressings, take Carol to a chemo, bring a meal or just sit and watch a movie with her.  One friend paid generously for housekeeping.

Carol anticipated the greatest blessing of all in her latest fight with AML.  She realized that this fight would likely end in her death and while she was sad to think about leaving her loved ones, she knew it would lead to meeting her Lord and Savior face to face.

Carol is survived by her loving husband of almost 48 years, Greg, who was also her comforter, caretaker and best friend. She is also survived by their three children, son Matt Cromartie and his wife Summer and grandson’s Jesse and Jack. Their daughter Laura Monteiro and her husband Ryan and grandsons Theodore and Hugo. And their son Jon Cromartie and his wife Ellie. She is also survived by three sisters, Geneva Krag, Grace Ely and her husband Fred, and Cindy Murdock.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate Carol's life at 3:00 p.m., Monday, January 27, 2025, at Allen Family Funeral Options, with The Rev. Canon Steven Saul and The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes officiating. There will be a visitation which will begin at 2:00 p.m. prior to the memorial service.

If you wish to join the service via webcast, please visit: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/108419

There will be a reception to follow the service.

Carol will be laid to rest in the columbarium at Christ Church Plano.

In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make a gift in her memory, the family requests donations be made to a Christian charity serving the sick, the poor or protecting the unborn.