In celebration of her life, a memorial service was held for Carol Faulkenberry on May 11, 2002 in the auditorium at Lake Hypatia Freethought Hall, Alabama Freethought Association. The 25 of her family, friends and AFA members gathered to recall humorous incidents and reflect on how Carol touched all of our lives.
Adam Butler, a close friend of Carol and the Faulkenberry family, lead the informal discussion and individual epilogs, painting verbal pictures of her activism, compassion, humor and friendship. Carol was a member of AFA and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a wonderful homemaker, loving mate and mother, activist and author of An Uppity Old Atheist Woman’s Dictionary.
She lived her life with gusto and faced death in the same manner, as an gutsy, uppity old atheist woman. Born May 10, 1938, Carol died on August 5, 2001, but her spirit will remain forever with all those who knew and loved her. Following the memorial, we gathered in Hypatia Hall to further celebrate Carol’s life with champagne, an array of finger-food and fellowship.
Everyone helped to decorate the hall with white lace table clothes, centerpieces of pansies, candles and freethought wildflowers. Afterward, a pink dogwood tree was planted in Carol’s memory. AFA co-director Pat Cleveland smiled and said, “Carol would have appreciated and approved of this celebration, as well as those members who did not show up because they were demonstrating their activism in Montgomery in a protest rally against Judge Roy Moore.” Patsyann Pitts is editor of the AFA newsletter and an Alabama Foundation member.
A dogwood tree was planted in May at Lake Hypatia Freethought Advance, Alabama, in memory of Carol Faulkenberry. From left to right, back row: Rachael and Al Faulkenberry Jr., Joanne and Charity Faulkenberry, Sara Howard, Ann Templeton, Richard Faulkenberry, Roger Cleveland, Al Faulkenberry, James Howard, Barbara & Walt Buttram. Foreground: Rachael Doughty and Pat Cleveland
