Obituary: Carolyn Sperry

After graduating high school in 1964, Carolyn moved to San Francisco to attend Simpson Bible College, where she would continue her love for music as a choralist in the chorale for the college. It was at Simpson that Carolyn would meet the love of her life, future husband Donald Jay Sperry in 1966. While going to school at Simpson, Carolyn worked as a bookkeeper for an accounting firm in San Francisco.

Carolyn married Don on July 6, 1968, in Santa Rosa. They began their life together while Don was stationed at Travis Airforce Base in Fairfield, Calif. In 1971, she gave birth to her first son, Joshua. In the summer of 1972, the family moved to Bellingham, Wash., where Don attended college and Carolyn worked for the State of Washington. In 1975, Carolyn gave birth to her second son, Caleb. In 1976, they moved to The Dalles where Don began a new teaching job.

She raised her boys, served in her church Calvary Baptist and also worked in various jobs in the community, where she developed life-long friendships. Carolyn enjoyed developing new friendships because of her love for people. She brought joy into every room she entered, and those who knew her were better for it.

Carolyn is survived by her husband, Donald Jay Sperry of The Dalles; son Caleb Jay Sperry and grandchildren Isabella and Grady Sperry, all of Hood River, Ore.; grandchildren Austin Laster, Leah, Bradley and Jacob Sperry, all of Spanaway, Wash.; sister Sherri Sellars of Minnesota; brother William Fredrick Jr. of South Carolina; and sisters Linda Mitchner and Twila Furze of California. She is predeceased by her son, Joshua Marc Sperry, who passed on April 25, 2020, father William Fredrick, who passed in 2002, and mother Florence Marie Galbreath Fredrick, who passed in 2017.

Services for mother and son are planned as follows; Private committal ceremony Friday, April 16 at Willamette National Cemetery; public celebration of life ceremony Saturday, April 17 at Calvary Baptist, 3350 Columbia View Drive, The Dalles, with Joshua’s service at 11 a.m. and Carolyn’s service at 2 p.m., with a reception gathering between services. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hope Medical Clinic, www.hopemedicalclinic.org, or c/o Anderson's Tribute Center • Celilo Chapel, 204 E. Fourth St., The Dalles, OR 97058. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.