Obituary of Charles "C. D." Carrens

Charles Dwight Carrens, 90, of Pittman, Arkansas passed away Wednesday, February 1, 2012, in the Five Rivers Medical Center in Pocahontas, Arkansas. He was born on April 4, 1921, in Lead Hill, Arkansas, and was the son of the late Dr. James Sigel and Mamie Thomas Carrens. He was united in marriage to Anna Mae Pierce on July 6, 1945, in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and to this union two children were born. In addition to his parents he was also preceded in death by five brothers: Thomas Vernon, Sigel, Bobby Gene, Ralph, and an infant brother; three sisters: Lula Mae McCauley, Fern Ennis, and Helen Johnson. He is survived by his wife, Anna Mae Carrens of Pittman, Arkansas, son Charles Carrens of Piggott, Arkansas, daughter Anita Carrens of Doniphan, Missouri, one granddaughter, Courtney Gayle Landrum and husband Daniel of Ft. Worth, Texas, one great-granddaughter, Vivian Gayle Landrum of Ft. Worth Texas, one brother-in-law, Coleman Pierce and wife Georgia of Maynard, Arkansas, several nephews and nieces, and a host of other relatives and friends. In his younger years, he was an excellent baseball and basketball player, having traveled and played in Northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri. After graduating Maynard high school in 1938 he began his educational career by teaching at stokes and Shemwell. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps where he served proudly during World War II as a radio mechanic on the B-17 Flying Fortresses. After returning from the war he attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where he attained his bachelor's degree in Education. He later continued his education by attending the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri where he received his MSE degree in Education. After the war he also taught school in the Pratt community before moving on to Cooter, MO. He started his work as a high school administrator in 1952 at Van Buren, MO, where he was a coach, math teacher, science teacher, superintendent, and principal. In 1958 he moved to Ava, Missouri as high school principal for three years. Then in 1961, he had the opportunity to return home to Doniphan, Missouri, where he remained for 20 years as high school principal until his retirement in 1981. The loves of his life were his farm, which he worked tirelessly on for many, many years, quail hunting, the St. Louis Cardinals, fishing on the Current River, playing pitch under the big oak trees at Supply, watching his children play sports, and his wife and family. He attended church at Mt. Pleasant Baptist at Pitman as long as his health permitted. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Saturday, February 4, 2012, at Edwards Funeral Home in Doniphan. Funeral Services will be at 2:00 p.m. Sunday February 5, 2012, at Edwards Funeral Home with Pastors Clifton Braschler, Mike Bradley, and Charles Carrens officiating. Burial will follow at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery with military honors. Memorials may be made to the Ripley County Retired Teachers' Scholarship Fund.