Carolyn Luke

Carolyn Frasier Luke, wife of retired United Methodist minister the Reverend James E. (Jim) Luke, met her future husband when she was a young child growing up in Meridian, Mississippi. Her husband of almost 60 years remembers pulling chairs out from under her at Fifth Street Methodist Sunday School to get her attention. They later fell in love, married in their teens, and two years after their marriage started their family. She was so in love with her childhood sweetheart that she would follow him anywhere, and for 45 years of ministry she did just that. Although she had lived all of her youth in Meridian when Jim answered the call to the ministry, Carolyn packed up the family and moved them to the small community of Porterville, Mississippi. There she and her husband served a charge of five churches, which included Porterville, Union Hill, Mt. Hebron, Briggs Chapel, and Chapel Hill United Methodist churches. Later Carolyn and Jim would serve numerous other United Methodist churches including Druid Hills in Meridian, Mississippi; Lovejoy, Red Oak and Gaither’s Chapel in the Newton County-Covington, Georgia area; Midway in Alpharetta; Sandy Spring in North Fulton County, Tallapoosa in Haralson County; Tillman, Trinity and Fair Oaks in Cobb County; Zoar in Lithonia, and Hillside in Woodstock. While raising her family and assisting her husband in the ministry, Carolyn commuted to college and graduated from Livingston State College (now West Alabama University) with a degree in elementary education. She taught at Marion Park Elementary School in Meridian, Mississippi; E.L. Ficquett in Covington, Georgia; Midway Elementary in Alpharetta, and James L. Riley in Sandy Springs. Because underprivileged students were especially important to her, Carolyn taught in the Headstart program during the summer in Oxford, Georgia. She retired from teaching due to chronic health issues. As a result of those health problems, Carolyn died May 24, 2008, in her home in Woodstock at the age of 76. The daughter of Robert W. Frasier, Sr. and Lillian McArthur Frasier, Carolyn Luke is survived by her husband James E. Luke of Woodstock, her brother Jack M. Frasier of Mobile, Alabama; her son Stephen P. Luke (wife Cheryl Luke) of Easton, Pennsylvania; daughters Crystal T. Johnson (husband Tom Johnson) of Hogansville and Cindy Valentine (husband Jerry Valentine) of Newnan; grandsons, Eric Valentine and Chris Luke, both of Decatur, Mark and Andrew Valentine both of Newnan and Michael Luke of Smyrna; and great-grandchildren, Zoe and Hayden Valentine. Services will be held at Hillside United Methodist Church in Woodstock at 2 pm on Wednesday, May 28, 2008. Dr. Douglas Thrasher and Dr. Jamie Jenkins to officiate. Interment will follow in Green Lawn Cemetery in Roswell. Visitation will be Tuesday, May 27 from 2 to 4 pm and 6 to 8 pm at Northside Chapel Funeral Directors on Crabapple Road in Roswell. The family request that memorials be given to Hillside United Methodist Church of Woodstock in lieu of flowers. Northside Chapel Funeral Directors and Crematory, Roswell 770-645-1414. www.northsidechapel.com

Carolyn Luke

March 4, 1932 - May 24, 2008