Carol Grace Silver Darby

Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn, and that happened on June 18, 2009 when Carol Darby died at an Abilene medical center. A service to celebrate her life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at Church of the Heavenly Rest, Episcopal with The Reverend Dr. William Wright and The Reverend Mary Glover officiating, directed by The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road in Abilene, Texas. Carol Grace Silver was born on April 25, 1949 in Oklahoma to Dr. Wayne and Dorothy Scott Silver. She graduated from Durant High School in May 1967 and studied music at SMU, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and then again at SMU. She graduated from Angelo State University in May 1979 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree and then received a Masters of Music Education degree from the same university in May 1980. During the time Carol was attending SMU, she taught flute lessons at high schools in the surrounding towns. She was hired to teach lessons in Lewisville by the band director, Cecil Darby. He asked her out, and on their first date he took her to a fancy restaurant for dinner and then to a Dallas Symphony Orchestra concert. Carol Grace Silver and Cecil Curtis Darby Jr were married at the home of a preacher in Atoka, Oklahoma on July 10, 1971. They celebrated their marriage by taking a trip to Europe the next summer, and they recalled their experiences on that trip over their next 37 years together. They laughed about taking so many clothes that they had to mail some of them home because there was not enough room to pack everything. They also misjudged the cost of the trip and had to wait to come home until their families sent them enough money to cover the cost of the return trip. Over the years Carol and Cecil lived in Lewisville, Ballinger, San Angelo, and Abilene where she was a college professor at Angelo State University, a music teacher in public schools, and the instructor in her private flute studio. She was an excellent musician herself and also taught flute, piano, and string instruments to hundreds of students. After developing a love of music and mastering the necessary technical skills, many of her students are now performing, directing, and teaching the next generation of musicians. Carol was also talented in other areas such as needlepoint, decorating, and cooking. She was a gourmet cook who loved to prepare food and entertain her friends. Their home is decorated with her needlepoint artwork as well as with treasures she and Cecil had collected during their adventures all over the country. Carol had the ability to take the simplest foods or the simplest household items and make delicious meals and beautiful decorations. Carol and Cecil loved people, loved their home, and loved their church. She played many solos during worship services and was very active in the Heavenly Rest church choir. She was always looking for different ways to help at church, and last week she spent hours making crepes to serve to the children attending Vacation Bible School. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband. She is survived by her brother, Brian Silver and his wife Kay; her sister-in-law, Linda Flynt and her husband Bill; mother-in-law, Naoma Darby; nieces, nephews and cousins. She is also survived by numerous friends, colleagues, and former and current students. Carol was loved, admired, and respected by everyone. She possessed an infectious joy for life and a contagious laughter that could instantly fill a room. Memorials may be made to the Church of the Heavenly Rest, Episcopal Choir Fund, 602 Meander, Abilene, TX 79602, or to the donor's favorite charity.