Carolyn Meeks

Carolyn Kay Meeks Obituary

Carolyn Kay Meeks, 75, of Henderson, Nevada, passed away on December 15, 2022.

Carolyn was born on June 11, 1947 to Carl and Eva Meeks in Fall River, Massachusetts.

She graduated from Amarillo High School in 1965. Carolyn moved  to Greenfield, Massachusetts and attended Greenfield Community College getting an Associate of Science degree (remotely) in June of 1979. She moved to Texas in 1976 where Carolyn worked for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and then for the Texas Retirement System.  While working and raising her daughter, she went to school part-time and completed her Bachelor’s of Applied Arts and Sciences at Southwest Texas University in December, 1983.

For most of her life she worked in various finance positions in government agencies from Texas to Oregon. She retired from Multnomah County Oregon, Portland Water Bureau in 2013 and moved to Marble Falls, Texas to care for her elderly parents.  She started working for The Jaffe Group of Companies while is Marble Falls, Texas and continued to work for them when she moved to Henderson, Nevada when her parents passed.  Carolyn devoted her considerable financial and negotiating skills to local community organizations. In Henderson, she was a member of the Finance Committee of the Sun City Association, the community where she resided.

She met the love of her life, Bob Strickland, in Texas while working for the Comptroller of Public Accounts and they moved to Portland, Oregon together. She joined the Board of a nonprofit that he founded, the Center to Airway Sciences. The Center teaches kids to fly through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). Even after Bob's passing, she continued as the Center’s Treasurer until her death.

She had a passion for antiquing, collected cameos, salt & pepper shakers, and art glass.  She was also an advocate for children and their education.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Eva Meeks and her brother, Gary Meeks.

She is survived by her daughter, Lisa Parks Hernandez and her husband Stephen of The Colony Texas; her grandson son Cody Hieter and his wife Kasey; her granddaughter Elizabeth Cook and her husband Garrett. Great granddaughter Eva (one on the way). She is also survived by her sister, Evelyn Ireland and her spouse Steven Hacker and their two children David Hacker and Katherine Hacker; her brother Larry Meeks and his wife Karen and their daughter Chrystie Hamilton as well as her sister Tiffanee Leila Tiffany and her daughters Sheree Jones and husband Watt, Sydnee Gray and husband Shea, Jessica Hohr and Stephanee Howell and husband Adam.

The family wishes to thank Carolyn’s friends in Henderson for their assistance and support at this difficult time.

A family memorial will be held in Dallas on January 21, 2023 and a second celebration of life will be scheduled for friends in Henderson in April.

In lieu of flowers or donations, the family requests that donations be made to the Airway Science for Kids, 3710 N. Mississippi Avenue, Portland, Oregon. Phone: 815-435-4448, website: airsci.org.