Roll Call Tribute

Elizabeth Caroline Penn 

1939 - June 15, 2025 

Elizabeth "Caroline" Penn, daughter of John Redd and Elizabeth "Libby" Penn, departed for her heavenly home on Sunday, June 15, 2025. She was 86-years-young. She had a fine sense of humor, a wonderful laugh, and a beautiful smile that would light up any room. Her eyes reflected the love and kindness that she always showed to others. Generalizations were unacceptable to her and she would correct you in mid-sentence to say so. She was selfless, charitable, and genuine. She could guard a confidence for life, was an amazing listener, and had the wonderful gift of uplifting others because she knew the healing power of loving words. Caroline's strength was found in her faith, her beloved family, and her treasured friendships, some of which spanned nearly 70 years.

She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Pam and Jerry Treadwell, and her brother and sister-in-law, John and Sheri Penn and her nieces and nephews and their spouses – Rachel and Scott Schroeder, Brett and Julie Treadwell, Allison and James Jordan, and Collin and Windy Penn as well as 11 great nieces and nephews and one great-great nephew. 'Auntie' or 'Aunt C', as she is fondly remembered, was like a second mother and grandmother to Rachel and Brett and their children. She was at all of the ball games and dance recitals, sporting her glowing smile and professional camera. Aunt C was a regular around the Treadwell family table, ever the engaging listener, always interested in everyone's goings-on. She also leaves behind Elaine Hearn, her longtime friend and housemate of 33 years. Elaine was a steadfast companion to Caroline and was by her side, caring for her until the very end. Elaine and Caroline lived life together and have many wonderful memories, including travel to Lake Tahoe, their favorite vacation spot, among other places.

Caroline was born in Tyler, Texas. She was a natural leader early in life. At age 17, she received an invitation for an all-expense-paid trip from the Chamber of Commerce President of Icy Fingers, Iceland, for her winning essay on "Why I Believe that the Purple-Bellied Grasshopper is Doomed." In her senior year, she received a twenty-five-dollar check from the VFW Auxiliary of Tyler for her first-place essay titled "Preserving America's Free Men's Rights." She was an honor roll graduate of Tyler High School, class of 1957. She earned a bachelor's degree from TCU and a master's degree from Texas A&M University.

Caroline began her teaching career at Spring Woods Junior High in 1961 where she taught Texas history and served as the chairman of the Social Studies department. As a result of two scholarships awarded her by the Spring Branch local and area council Parent-Teacher Associations, she attended East Carolina College in North Carolina. She was selected as one of 20 teachers throughout the United States to receive the Fulbright Scholarship. The scholarship allowed her to study Latin American history at the University of Chile in Santiago during the summer of 1966. Her travels included Lima and Cuzco in Peru, Bogota, Columbia, and Caracas, Venezuela.

Caroline also worked as a consultant for the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) for 16 years. In 1978, she helped design and coordinate "Citizen Me", a grade K-5 curriculum that encouraged students to become involved in their community to enable them to perform as productive citizens. From 1982-83, she served as the President for the Texas Council for the Social Studies (TCSS) and in 1985 she received the National Council for the Social Studies Outstanding Service Award. In 1987 she became the first recipient of the TCSS Billy Sills Distinguished Service Award. She was also involved in the Houston-Japan Project and traveled twice to Japan to learn about their culture and educational model. Following her retirement from HCDE, she taught student teachers at the University of Houston and the University of St. Thomas. She also served on the curriculum committee for the Holocaust Museum Houston.

Caroline was an avid bridge player and always said that she preferred to play for the fun of the game. She loved sharing coffee with friends, bird watching, photography, listening to music, and traveling. She took many cruises with family and friends over the years. She was also "Mom" to many rescued pets throughout her adult life which included cats and dogs.

Her family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Elaine Hearn for the loving care that she showed Caroline over the years. Elaine was an angel and a warrior for Caroline, seeing to it that all things were handled according to Caroline's wishes. The family also would like to recognize the dedicated caregivers from Executive Care for their years of service to Caroline and to the Bayou City Hospice team members for their compassionate care.