Obituary of Carl Childress

Funeral services for Carl Childress, age 74 of Calhoun, LA, will be held at 10 AM Friday, November 30, 2012 from the chapel of Riser Funeral Home in Columbia, LA with Dr. Neil Everett officiating. Interment will follow at Roberts Cemetery in Kelly, LA. Visitation will be Thursday evening at Riser Funeral Home in Columbia from 5 PM to 8 PM. Carl Fluitt Childress was born in Kelly, LA on December 3, 1937 to the union of Robert and Grace Childress and died peacefully at St. Francis Medical Center on November 27, 2012 after a valiant fight against lung cancer. Carl was preceded in death by his parents, Robert F. and Grace Fitzgerald Childress, his brothers, Melvis Childress, Vercie Childress, and infant brother, Robert Mitchell Childress and his sister, Virginia McDaniel. He is survived by his wife, Pat Childress of Calhoun, LA, his son, Barry Bush and wife, Kay, of Jennings, LA, his daughters, Shelly Malone and husband, Justin, of Haughton, LA, and Dr. Samantha Thiemann and husband, Jody, of Shreveport, LA, his brothers, Gerald Childress and wife, Merle of Grayson, LA, and Kenneth Childress and wife, Marie of Kelly, LA, and his sister, Bobbie Grace Rowe and husband, Bill of Rifle, CO/Dallas, TX. He is also survived by five granddaughters, Caitlyn Bush of Jennings, LA, Tatum Malone and Keagan Malone of Haughton, LA and Ryann Thiemann and Taylor Thiemann of Shreveport, LA. Carl also leaves behind a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, and many friends. Carl graduated from Kelly High School in Kelly, LA in 1957 and completed barber training at Louisiana Technical College in Shreveport, LA. He served in the United States Army Reserves for 8 years. After leaving the military, Carl ventured into several different business endeavors including barbering, cattle, oil product sales, and timber. Carl was instrumental and groundbreaking in the development of the first liquid cattle feed plant in Louisiana called Beef Maker. He also brought innovative techniques for clearing reservoirs for the US Corps of Engineers in Oklahoma and Kansas. For the last 27 years, Carl has partnered with his wife, Pat, to construct infrastructures in the highway transportation industry in Louisiana and Arkansas. Honoring Carl as pallbearers will be Danny Childress, Shane McDaniel, Chris McDougal, Randy Minard, Jay Minard, Jeremy Prince, Keith Childress, and John Levels, Jr. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be the crews of PAC Unlimited. There are many people who deserve special thanks. The family deeply appreciates the sustained support and invaluable assistance given by Louisiana Home Health Care, Louisiana Hospice & Palliative Care, MD Anderson Cancer Treatment Center, Dr. Clyde Elliott, Dr. Slade Smith, Dr. Bob Holladay, Dr. Matt George, Dr. Johnathan Kurie, and Dr. Jennifer Wheeler and their respective staff who provided support and care to Carl during his battle with lung cancer. We can never adequately express our appreciation and gratitude to the staff members of the Sixth Floor and ER at St. Francis Medical Center for caring for our family in the last few days. The family would also like to acknowledge the diligent and faithful prayers of the prayer warriors on behalf of Carl and our family. Carl continually acknowledged your prayers were his sustaining grace throughout this time and the reason he incurred no pain. Your prayers provided months of precious time for our family to love "Big Daddy." In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to MD Anderson at University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210 or giving@mdanderson.org.