Carolyn Parker Scantlebury, former NAACP Houston Branch president and an active member of the local community, died Jan. 12 at age 75. Services will be held Sunday, Jan. 29 at Windsor Village Church Family, 6011 West Orem. Visitation is at 1 p.m. and the celebration of life is at 1:30 p.m.
Current NAACP Houston Branch President Bishop James Dixon II remembers her as a “beloved mother, sister, friend and Christian soldier” dedicated to making a difference.
“To know her was to witness a selfless life,” Dixon said. “One who gave herself first to her Lord, Jesus Christ, and then to others, as an instrument of God’s love, expressed in myriad roles of service. To the Houston NAACP, she was a faithful follower and co-laborer for justice. Having served as the president of our Houston Branch, she modeled the rare mixture of authority wrapped in humility.”
She was also a devoted member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Windsor Village, where she served on the Administrative and New Membership boards and in other capacities at the church for over 35 years. Her other involvement included: vice chair, Friends of the African American Library at the Gregory School; vice chair, Black Go Texan Committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; member, Jack Yates and Huston-Tillotson Alumni Associations, and local campaign manager, Jesse Jackson’s 1984 presidential campaign.
Her professional background included working with the Area Agency on Aging, City of Houston, Womack Development Group and as a psychiatric social worker for HISD.
Survivors include her son, Darnley (Donnie) DeCosta Scantlebury III and three grandchildren, Noah, Asa and Ava.