Carla Louise Lee, beloved by all who knew her, was born in Malvern, Ark., on July 29, 1959. She peacefully departed this life on Oct. 7th, 2024. She is preceded in death by her mother, Peggy Byers Lee, and grandparents, Silas C. Byers, II, Eugenia Floyd Byers, Lester Otho Lee, and Frankie Lee Carruthers. She is survived by her father, Lester W. “Bob” Lee, her sister, Debra Lee (Dolph), her brothers, Robert “Buddy” (Susan), Adam (Patty), her nephews, Christopher, Ryan (Caitlin), and her grandniece (Evelyn) and grandnephew (Atticus).
Carla battled schizoaffective disorder for many years of her life, but still found joy and laughter. Her outsized personality will always be remembered by the staff at the Arkansas Health Center where she called everyone “Momma” in a booming voice with a giant smile on her face. “Persistence” was her middle name. In her youth, she loved all small creatures, especially her dog General Stephen Dill Lee, and being with family and friends. She was an artist, storyteller, and poet, making beautiful notecards and writing poems about the lives of many small creatures. In her later years, she loved coloring, bingo, and “The Price is Right.”
Her life will be celebrated with residents and staff at the Arkansas Health Center in the next few weeks. Carla did not like being alone, so her memorial service will be held jointly with that of her father, in what we hope is many years in the future. Memorials may be made to either the Schizophrenia Research Society (https://schizophreniaresearchsociety.org/) or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (https://www.aspca.org/).
