Carolyn Jean Linquist

Carolyn Jean Linquist, 78, of Amarillo, Texas, passed away peacefully on August 20, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family and holding her daughter’s hand in her family’s home in Bushland, Texas. After a long and courageous battle with kidney disease, Carolyn’s earthly fight was finally over. She was healed, whole, and home with her Savior. Celebration of Life service is scheduled for 10:00 AM Wednesday August 26, 2026 at Cox-Rowley Funeral Home Chapel, 4180 Canyon Drive, with Dr. Howie Batson offiicating. 

Carolyn was born on September 17, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, to Lewis Roland Loyd and Fern Dewees Loyd. She was raised in Perryton, Texas, alongside her beloved sister and only sibling, Phyllis, who was also her best friend growing up. The loss of Phyllis in 2011 left a tremendous emptiness in Carolyn’s heart, as their bond was one she treasured throughout her entire life.

After graduating from Perryton High School, Carolyn attended Texas Tech University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in education. She went on to dedicate more than 30 years of her life to teaching countless young lives as a third-grade teacher and middle school math teacher. Her years of teaching were achieved in Hereford, Lubbock, Anchorage, and Amarillo ISD’s. She retired from teaching in 2018, leaving behind a legacy of patience, compassion, and care for her students.

In 1968, Carolyn married Roy Lively, and together they welcomed their two children, Clint and Jeana. They raised their family in Hereford and then Lubbock, Texas. Later in life, Carolyn married her high school sweetheart, Stanley Linquist, on November 30, 2001. They spent several years living in Anchorage, Alaska, before eventually returning to Amarillo. Stan preceded Carolyn in death in 2019.

To know Carolyn was to love her. She was an angel on earth – compassionate, patient, selfless, gracious, nurturing, and deeply loving. She had a remarkable ability to bring people together and was truly the glue that held her family and friendships together. Even decades after high school, she stayed connected to old friends and distant family members. Her classmates lovingly called her the “class mom,” a fitting name for someone who was always organizing reunions, gatherings, and celebrations to make sure the people she loved stayed connected.

Carolyn was a keeper of memories and traditions. She loved making Shutterfly books filled with a million photographs, preserving the moments and people that meant so much to her. Christmas at Nana’s house was always special, with a tree covered in animated ornaments and presents underneath carefully made equal for everyone. Her home was filled with pink pigs, her favorite animal, and her kitchen often held a bowl of fresh tomatoes from GranStan’s garden. For her grandchildren, some of the sweetest memories will always be of “Nana Camp”--slumber parties filled with laughter, Hi Ho Cherry-O, and the kind of simple moments that become lifelong treasures. There was always “Nana Cake,” her famous chocolate and coffee cake, usually accompanied by a glass of milk, whether it was a birthday or simply because someone asked. These little traditions were Carolyn’s way of loving her family, and they will live on long after her.

She is preceded in death by her husband Stanley Linquist; her father, Lewis Roland Loyd; her mother, Fern Loyd and her sister, Phyllis Gruhlkey.

Carolyn is survived by her son, Clint Lively and his wife, Virginia, and their children, Connor and Patrick Lively; her daughter, Jeana Edwards and her husband, David; her granddaughter, Tatum Edwards; granddaughter, Jentry Jean Simmons and her husband Slade; and her only great-grandchild, Sawyer Jean Simmons. She is also survived by beloved nieces, nephews, extended family, and countless friends whose lives were made better by knowing her.

One of the most precious moments of Carolyn’s final chapter came when she met her great-granddaughter, Sawyer. At just seven and half months old when Carolyn passed, Sawyer had already given her Nana a lifetime’s worth of joy. When Carolyn held Sawyer for the first time, she looked at her and said, “This must be what heaven feels like.” Those words are a beautiful reflection of the love and wonder Carolyn carried in her heart.

Carolyn was raised in a Christian home, and her faith remained an important part of her life. In her final days, her family found comfort in knowing that she was no longer hurting. She was healed, she was whole, and she was finally home with her Savior.

Carolyn’s family knows there will be countless moments when they reach for the phone to call her, look for her at the next family gathering, or find themselves making one of her beloved traditions. They will miss her in a million little ways but they will also carry her with them in every family gathering she taught them to cherish, every photograph she preserved, every tradition she created, and every act of love she so freely gave. 

Carolyn’s daughter said it best: this is not goodbye. It is simply, “I’ll see you at dinner time.” Until then, Carolyn will be loved, remembered, and missed beyond words.