Obituary of Carolyn Howell Masten

Carolyn was a treasure! An avid reader, she figured out during her youth that, after Jesus Christ, character mattered most, and she anchored her behavior to that life-centering strategy. With her husband of 55 years, Robert L. Masten, Captain, US Navy (Retired), they raised nineteen children, all adopted – mostly in sibling groups. With love, dedication and perseverance they guided their children to maturity, targeting them to become productive and valued members of society.

The raising of 19 children required Carolyn to employ exceptional managerial skills. Picture restaurant size cooking pots, six to 7 grocery shopping carts each week, including an average of 30 gallons of milk and 30 loaves of bread, and mounds of clothes to be laundered and sorted. For years she was the family barber. As the children aged and became evermore involved, they too became talented cooks and superior leaders and managers. From an interview recorded in the Fall 1992 Children Awaiting Parents, Inc. newsletter, Carolyn is quoted as saying, “Our strength is in our children. They nurture each other. That is why we can take others. One of the boys stuttered and wouldn’t look you in the eye, laugh, cry or do anything wrong when he came to us. The stuttering stopped long ago. He is now an active fun-loving boy who laughs, cries and gets into trouble as one expects of a child his age.”

Carolyn was blessed with a hidden ingredient that energized and stabilized her leadership. Her late parents, Carl and Dorothy Howell of Timmonsville, SC, and their four children, modeled a family cohesiveness of love and mutual respect and support that set a superb example of how families should interact. Carolyn and Rob’s children observed and inculcated these lessons which in turn enhanced their own growth.

The family grew: 1, 2, 4, 9, 13, 17, and ultimately 19 children. For clarity, “Everyday was a day at camp. Some days were a day at the zoo.”

Another aspect of Carolyn’s persona was life-long, severe, debilitating, fibromyalgia pain. Like everything else, she managed it well and few people knew. For most of her life she either rose above the pain or modified her behavior cyclically to work-a-little, rest-a-little. Nonetheless, with her keen eye for interior design and color coordination, her homes were always warm and livable, her personal attire was frequently “stunning,” and her children reflected her radiance and her resilience. Despite the pain, she hand-quilted, at her pace, an oversized king bedspread that took her over 30 years to complete.

Carolyn was beautiful inside and out, a 10 on a ten-point scale. Good character begets its own goodness, and people loved to be around her. She was the person in the room to whom others gravitated, and she became a valued friend and confidant to many. Wonderfully, she was a devoted and loving wife who will be genuinely missed. Carolyn was an old-school Southern Belle: aristocratic in her elegance; humble and fun-loving as a personality; loving, intelligent and wise at her core. She loved life, lived it with inconsequential regret, and now leaves this life with an extra-special and blessed legacy.

Parents:

Carl Junius Howell (deceased)

Dorothy Turner Howell (deceased)

Husband:

Robert Lawrence Masten, Captain US Navy (Retired), of Summerville, SC

Children:

Alex Baron Masten (deceased)

Sydney-Annette Howell Masten of Summerville, SC

Kimberly Masten Firtamag of Flat Rock, MI

Michelle Masten Stanfill of Burnsville, NC

Susan Masten Lamb of Burnsville, NC

Kristina Masten Roberson (John) of Wake Forest, NC

Victoria Masten Parkins (Mike) of Nebo, NC

Ashley Masten Shoemaker of Summerville, SC

Sean Neilson Masten of Taylorsville, NC

Jennifer Masten Franklin (Travis) of Burnsville, NC

Michael David Masten (Jessica) of Spruce Pine, NC

Anthony Kenneth Masten of Summerville, SC

Elizabeth Kay Masten of Hickory, NC

David Robert Masten (Sierra) of Morganton, NC

Matthew Brooks Masten of Greenville, SC

William Neilson Masten of Asheville, NC

Catherine Diane Masten of Hickory, NC

Jonathan Richardson Masten of Archdale, NC

Robert Lawrence Masten, Jr. of Summerville, SC

Grandchildren: 25

Great Grandchildren: 4

Siblings:

Samantha Carlene Howell Kincaid (Barry) of Jensen Beach, FL

Linda Howell Weathers (Larry) of North Charleston, SC

Carl Junius Howell, Jr. (Carol) of Summerville, SC

In lieu of flowers, those who desire may make donations to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Warrior Foundation (eodwarriorfoundation.org). Thank you.