- Carolyn Elizabeth Gouge Critcher
Knoxville - Carolyn Elizabeth Gouge Critcher, age 71, died peacefully on October 16, 2020 following an eighteen month journey with pancreatic cancer.
Carolyn was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on November 14, 1948, to Elizabeth and Harold Gouge. She is the great granddaughter of Thomas Harrison McCuiston and Sarah McCuiston, early settlers to Tecumseh, Oklahoma Territory in the 1890s. She is the granddaughter of Lois and Hugh Gill, both born in Oklahoma Territory and long-term residents of Talequah, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
She graduated from U.S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City in 1966, and from Oklahoma State University in 1970. She received a master's degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Washington in 1973. She was a dedicated professional in the fields of early childhood education, speech and language development, post stroke/geriatric language therapy, originally in Marietta, Ohio, and for forty years in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was affiliated for many years with the Little Tennessee Valley Educational Cooperative, in Loudon, Tennessee.
Carolyn was a dedicated Christian and during her years in Knoxville was vitally connected with several local churches: New Covenant Fellowship, Grace Connection, Cokesbury, The Lord's Chapel, and Awaken City Church. Her love for the Word of God was fundamental to her life and evidenced as she studied and taught the Bible. She espoused love, community, and service, and she embraced life with grace and faith in her deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Carolyn is survived by her sister, Peggy Ellen Gouge Bradley, of Austin, Texas; her nephew, Andrew Farish York, and his wife Laura Brady York, and their son, Brady Farish York, of Austin, Texas; her step-niece, Amanda York Focke, and her husband Thatcher Barrett Focke, and their daughters Clover Chilton Focke and Olive Kolius Focke, of Houston, Texas. She is also survived by cousins J. Scott Southworth and his wife Zelda Rubenstein of Framingham, Massachusetts, Bruce Southworth and his wife Kay Sunday Xanthakos of New York City, and David King and his wife Martha King, of Del Mar, California; and childhood friends Robin Stover, of Vashon Island, Washington, and Colee Biller-Littlefield, of Houston, Texas. Carolyn took special joy in her relationships with the youngest generation, Olive, Clover, and Brady, and with her beloved canine companion, Barnabas. Carolyn is also survived by many caring friends and neighbors, and she treasured her community in Knoxville.
The family wishes to thank Michael Collier, M.D., Mitchell Martin, M.D., and Richard Mays, M.D., for their dedicated medical care. The family also thanks loving caregivers and friends, Angel Burgess, Angela McGhee, and Natalie Peck, for caring support over the months of Carolyn's illness.
A celebration of Carolyn's life will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, November 1st, at New Covenant Fellowship, 6828 Central Avenue Pike 37918. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carolyn's honor to Amanda Rich, her friend, who is a full-time missionary to Russian-speaking people abroad: https://giving.111global.org/support?code=A10013R or check payable to One Eleven Global with Amanda Rich's name and Code A10013R in memo line mailed to One Eleven Global, P.O. Box 9938, Kansas City, MO 64134
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1948 - 2020 (71 years)
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