Carrie Georgiana Klostermann was born December 20, 1949 to Carrie DeLatte in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her dad, Charlie Johnson, joined the family when Carrie was 4 years old. She graduated from Riverdale High School in 1968 and married Dave Townsley shortly thereafter. She lived in Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, and California where she welcomed her first child, Amanda, in 1971. Carrie then moved to Georgia and welcomed Travis in 1973, Tiffany in 1977, and Darren in 1983. She enjoyed many years being involved in her children’s lives in as many ways as possible. She was homeroom mom, a member of the PTA, team mom for the various sports her kids played, and a Girl Scout and Boy Scout leader for close to 20 years. She spent much of her time volunteering and truly enjoyed being able to use her time to help others.
Carrie was transplanted to Texas in 1988. She struggled to accept Texas as her home but eventually grew to love it. Carrie remarried to John Klostermann in 1997 and they settled in Farmersville in 2002. She had an exceptional green thumb and loved to tend to her hundreds of plants in the yard and house. She was very proud to have received the Yard of the Month and also had her home featured in the newspaper with her beautiful Christmas decorations.
Carrie answered to many names – CG, Sweetie, Mom and Granny. To say that Carrie’s world revolved around her grandchildren would be an understatement. She was not only the best babysitter ever, but their biggest supporter at every sporting event, scouting ceremony, band performance, academic achievement, school play, and whatever else they could find to keep her busy. She loved to brag about her babies – Jayson, Jake, Savannah, Josh, Megan, Slade and Sloan – and they loved to dote on her as they got older. 2016 brought her a new title of “Great Granny” and she enjoyed being able to spoil Hayden every chance she got.
Carrie and John had season tickets to the Dallas Summer Musicals and she loved the Saturday matinees when she could dress her best and watch her favorite plays on the stage. Phantom of the Opera was one of her favorites and she could often be found listening to various Broadway soundtracks. Man of la Mancha was another favorite and Saturdays were filled with the sounds of The Impossible Dream, Dulcinea, and Little Bird.
Movies, especially Disney movies, were another passion. She and John owned over 2,000 movies and they were cataloged alphabetically for reference. She knew if you borrowed one and she expected it to be returned promptly. She owned every Disney movie probably ever made and she loved them all – the new ones as well as the old ones. A Mickey fan at heart and she shared that love with her kids and grandkids.
Through scouting, Carrie and John made and remained close with several friends. She looked forward to their monthly “Friends Dinner” where there were stories, laughter, jokes, and yummy food. These friends stuck by her side and could always be counted on to lend a hand or a shoulder to cry on.
Carrie, or CG as she was known to her siblings, came from a big family. Sisters Carolyn, Lorraine and Kathy along with brothers Bubber, Darryl, and Mark made for a rowdy group. Carrie always looked forward to the annual New Orleans Crawfish Boil and the family Christmas get-togethers. There was always lots of laughter and then tears when it came time to say goodbye.
Even though Carrie was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) in 2013, she was determined to fight hard and live her life to the fullest. She and John enjoyed travelling and made trips to Alaska, Illinois, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Oregon and many other places. Courtesy of one of her grandchildren, she now has a ticket to Mars on the rocket Atlas V-541 that will be launching in July 2020!
Carrie battled her illness for 6 hard fought years. She passed on Wednesday, September 4, 2019surrounded by her family and friends. Near the end, she made the bravest decision of her life and donated her brain to UT Southwestern for MSA research. She, along with her whole family, would love nothing more than to see a cure for MSA and by making that decision she can help that dream become a reality.
Carrie was preceded in death by her parents, Carrie and Charlie Johnson, and her brother Darryl Johnson. She is survived by her husband, John Klostermann, children Amanda Rogers, Travis Townsley, Tiffany Thomas, and Darren Townsley, grandchildren Jayson and Jake Rogers, Josh and Megan Townsley, Savannah Ulch, Slade and Sloan Thomas, great grandson Hayden Rogers, siblings Carolyn Brown, Lorraine Brister (Bob), Kathy Muhleisen (Andy), Charles Johnson (Diane), and Mark Johnson, numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and her loving friends. Carrie was also an extra special mother-in-law to Wayne Thomas, Tara Townsley, and Diana Townsley.
Services at Hurst’s Fielder Baker Funeral Home in Farmersville on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at 10:00 am. Visitation on Monday, September 9, 2019 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations to The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition preferred.