Longtime Tulsa Cerebral Palsy Association volunteer Mary Ann Carr dies
BY TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer
Sunday, July 01, 2012
7/01/12 at 2:55 AM
Just having a hand in the Red Glove Revue wouldn't have sufficed for volunteer Mary Ann Carr. Feet included, she put all of herself into it.
Not only did Carr dance and sing in the productions, but also during her nearly 40 years with the production, she was involved in just about every aspect.
A onetime chairwoman of the event, which benefits the Tulsa Cerebral Palsy Association, she also recruited talent, assisted with costumes, painted sets, even worked as a ticket-taker.
"It was really her baby," said her daughter Diane Jackson. "She was so devoted to it and the association. But she never took any credit. She always talked about the others involved."
Carr, a former TCPA president and longtime volunteer with the organization, died June 26. She was 77.
A funeral Mass is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Add'Vantage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
A native of Chicago, Carr moved to Tulsa in 1953 with her husband, Henry Carr, immediately after their marriage.
She would go on to work many years for Tulsa Rockwell, later bought by Boeing.
She first got involved with the Tulsa Cerebral Palsy Association and the Red Glove Revue in the early 1960s.
Carr's enthusiasm for the organization and the annual benefit knew no bounds, family members say.
She took on a leadership role with the organization, serving a term as president.
Jackson said her mother had been ill the last three years but still managed to keep tabs on what was going on.
In 1999, Carr made some special memories with three of her daughters when they appeared together on Rosie O'Donnell's television talk show. The appearance was part of a feature about weight loss, with four people chosen from each state.
"I got the entry form in the last day, and we never expected to be chosen," Jackson said of representing Oklahoma on the show. "We had so much fun going on there with mom. It was a thrill."
Carr was preceded in death by her husband and a son, Patrick Carr.
Her survivors include four daughters, Julie Carr, Kathy Cooley, Diane Jackson and Mary "Ally" Carr; 10 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Original Print Headline: Volunteer gave organization her all
Tim Stanley 918-581-8385
tim.stanley@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Mary Ann Carr appears with Tulsa Cerebral Palsy Association poster child Sydney Collins and her friend Raggedy Andy in 1997. A former TCPA president and a volunteer for more than 35 years with the organization's annual Red Glove Revue, Carr died Tuesday at age 77. Tulsa World file
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