“Her children rise up, and call her blessed.” Proverbs 31:28

Funeral services for Carolyn Leree Holtzclaw, 95 of West Monroe, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on February 28, 2022 with visitation starting at 1:00 p.m., in the chapel of Kilpatrick Funeral Home, North 7th Street, West Monroe, with Dr. Mark Fenn officiating. Interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Calhoun. Services are under the direction and care of Kilpatrick Funeral Home of West Monroe. Mrs. Holtzclaw went to her heavenly home on Friday, February 25, 2022. She was a member of First Baptist Church of West Monroe.

Mrs. Holtzclaw was preceded in death by her husband of over 61 years, James N. Holtzclaw; her daughter, Deborah Holtzclaw Sepulvado; her father, Clarence Key Emory; her mother, Vivian Blanche Chapman Emory; brothers, Horace Emory, Marquette Emory, J.E. Emory, Lamar Emory, Johnnie Emory, and Burbon Emory; sisters Iris Brooks, and Yvonne Evans, her granddaughter, Heather Sepulvado Williford, and son-in-law, Gary Rankin.

Survivors include her sister, Sue Dewey of Jacksonville, FL; daughter, Gwen Rankin of West Monroe, LA; son, Roger Holtzclaw and wife, Alison of Friendswood, TX; son, Tom Holtzclaw and wife, Stacey of Friendswood, TX; granddaughters, Gretchen Armstrong and husband Mike, Garrah Rankin, Gentri Stinson and husband Andy, Michelle Davis, Leslie Fernandes and husband Rui, and Brenna Holtzclaw; grandsons, Brian Sepulvado and wife Deanna, Michael Holtzclaw and wife Laura, and Hart Holtzclaw, as well as nine great-grandchildren, one great-great grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers are Aaron Leshe, Parker Armstrong, Mike Armstrong, Andy Stinson, Hart Holtzclaw, Ken Evans, Keith Evans, and Steve Evans. Honorary pallbearers are Gray Stinson and Drew Stinson.

Mrs. Holtzclaw was better known as mom, mother, Reesie, Ree, Mama Ree, Aunt Leree, Aunt Reesie, and yes, even Reesie Cup. According to scripture, she will be forevermore called Blessed. Proverbs 31 speaks of a virtuous, faithful, strong, and kind woman. “Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.” We know that mom is rejoicing now with her Lord in Heaven, reunited with her husband, our dad, as well as others who have gone on before. Yes, Heaven has added to its rolls, and we have lost a true southern lady – someone who was certain to “put on a hot pot of coffee” and offer you something from her arsenal of snacks when you came by to visit…someone who would bring a dessert to the doctor’s office to show the doctors, nurses, and supporting staff her appreciation…and someone who, within five minutes of meeting you, would inquire where you went to church. In all of her years, she never put gas in her car because “that was something a gentleman should do for a lady.” Mom maintained dignity, strength and grace of a true southern lady until the very end. Mom grew up on a small farm with nine siblings in Calhoun, LA during the depression years. She described how family, church, hard work, and the surrounding community influenced her character. Early on, she immersed herself in service to our Lord, establishing the Methodist Youth Fellowship at her church, Beulah Methodist, where she was also responsible for preparing the sanctuary prior to worship every week. She fascinated us with stories about those formative years and the life lessons she learned on the farm that helped shape who she would become. As much as those experiences molded the young lady she grew up to be, there was something much more life changing that impacted the rest of her days. Mom accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age, and it was obvious to anyone who was around her that she loved Him, and that He was the Lord of her life. Her favorite bible verse was John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” She stored that within her heart always, and it enabled her to be the peacemaker in her very large family. As we, her children, can attest, we witnessed how she attacked each and every issue in prayer first, which gave her the resolve of God’s truth and strength.

Mom was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, daughter and sister who truly gave of herself unselfishly. On November 23, 1949, she married the love of her life and from that day forward, the two were inseparable, as God intended. Although we lost dad over eleven years ago, she never stopped signing her name “Mrs. James N. Holtzclaw” until the day she died.While together, they dedicated their lives to their church, their children, and our expanding families at the same time that they cared for their two mothers and several family members who could not take care of themselves in later years. Mom would provide that same tender care for dad during his long illness that led to his passing. During those days, she tirelessly provided care and attention to the love of her life to make sure his needs were met. Although she sacrificed her own health, she never complained.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) and “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14). Other than periodic illnesses that included breaking her hip, mom maintained her independence, but after several heart attacks, she could no longer take care of herself like she would have liked. Almost seven months ago, we were told that she would not live much longer than a week, but mom refused to give up. Weeks and months passed, and during this entire time she never acknowledged she had a heart condition or that she had any other health issue for that matter. Several days ago, my sister told her that she would soon shed her old, broken body and receive a new, perfect body in its place. To this she replied that she liked her old body just fine. What a woman! She left this world vowing that she just needed to get a little stronger, and everything would be okay. Mom, we know that you are much better than “okay” now. You are forever healed.

“Honor thy father and mother…” (Ephesians 6:2). Through the years, the surrounding area grew accustomed to seeing mom and our sister Gwen together with her children and later grandchildren… eating, shopping, vacationing, and doing errands. Mom and Gwen were almost as inseparable as mom and dad were. Rarely would you see one without the other. When circumstances changed that required mom to be under the attention of hospice care, our sister did not hesitate to move mom into her home, where she said mom belonged. Our sister unselfishly declared that this is what mom and dad taught us. What a demonstration of loving and honoring our mother! As a family, we are so thankful that God allowed us to be with her and to walk with her on the path that led to Heaven’s threshold while our sister cradled her closely in her arms. My brother and I will always be thankful to our precious sister! By the way, we did not include this paragraph in our sister’s draft to approve, or it would have never made the cut.

We cannot begin to express how much we will miss Reesie – her bright eyes full of life, her radiant smile, her loving touch, and her sweet voice. She touched, influenced, and molded our lives just as she impacted so many others in her 95 years here on this earth. We will hold onto our memories, and we will be forever thankful to our God for giving us our dear mother. In this hour of mourning as in every hour God has given us, we will praise Him for the blessings that He has provided, and we await the day when we will be reunited in Heaven with mom and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The family would like to thank those friends, Elara hospice care nurses and staff, as well as those special sitters, Darlene (“Dolly”) and Tracy. Thank you for your help during these last few months. Mom loved you, and so do we!

Online condolence messages may be sent to the family at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com.

Kilpatrick Funeral Home
West Monroe, LA