Obituary of Helen Carol Myers

Helen Carol Overbey was born April 27, 1933, the firstborn child to Tom and Margaret Overbey. Already in those early years, God was shaping her life. At the age of four, her father died. Her mother was unable to support her and her younger brother, so, at age six, Carol and her brother were placed in a Christian orphanage, where they stayed for three years. Looking back on her life, Carol always said there were three lessons that came from her experience in the orphanage. The first lesson was how to survive under difficult circumstances. The second lesson was that her father was an agnostic; she always felt that, had she been raised under those conditions, she would have never been saved and known the joys of living a Godly Christian life. The third lesson was the opportunity to take piano lessons. She was one of three girls from the entire orphanage selected to receive free piano lessons. Had she been raised in the poverty of her home, she never would have been given the opportunity to take piano lessons. Her mother remarried, and at age nine, Carol and her brother were returned to their mother’s home. Still living in meager poverty, it seemed God placed opportunities all around her. A neighbor lady down the street gave Carol free piano lessons. But since Carol didn’t own a piano, the only chance she had to practice was to go to the piano teacher’s house to practice! As she would practice, her teacher would holler out from the kitchen, “Carol, that’s not right; do it again.” And she dared not miss a day of practice. Every day was a piano lesson day. In her small town of DeSoto, Kansas, there was no church, but another neighbor took a real interest in Carol, and took her to Youth For Christ meetings in Kansas City. There, as a teenager, Carol was saved. She loved the exciting services, music and activities, and never missed a meeting. This same neighbor was in pre-med school, and encouraged Carol to go to college. After graduating from high school, she worked for a year, and saved enough money to enroll at Kansas State University. She was a devoted Wildcats fan. She joined College Avenue Baptist Church, pastored by John Ironside, son of the noted Harry Ironside. Under his ministry, she was given Godly Bible instruction. She loved college life and her church, and was asked to sing in a ladies sextet. Unknown to her, there was a young man in the congregation who spotted Carol, and was immediately smitten; his name was Dick Myers. He had his roommate call Carol and ask if he could take her out; she accepted. From that point on, Carol had met her “knight in shining armor,” and her life forever changed. They married and finished college. Dick was a baseball player, and had signed a contract with the Cleveland Indians professional baseball team. Their life was a whirlwind of traveling, baseball games, and excitement. During this time, they had one child, a daughter, Sharon. However, after six years of baseball, a conviction of not being involved in church, and a military obligation, put them in El Paso, Texas. There, Dick surrendered to the preaching ministry. After the military obligation was complete, they moved to Springfield, Missouri to attend Bible College. Throughout the rest of their lives, Dick pastored three churches. Carol was a devoted and hard-working pastor’s wife. Her primary ministry was playing piano for church; she loved it and worked hard at it, and she was a very accomplished musician. She also taught public school, private school, and Bible college during her life. Her greatest joys in life were her husband, her daughter, and her music. She will always be remembered for those three important aspects of her life. Almost every conversation hinged on her family, who loved her very much. She was a devoted and loving wife and mother. When Dick passed away, a part of Carol died, too. She always talked of reuniting with him again; that was her greatest desire. Her life is now complete. She is in Heaven, enjoying the thrills of all eternity. Carol passed away peacefully at home in Tumwater on July 5, 2014. She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard; her father, Tom; her mother, Margaret; her stepfather, Oscar; and a two-week old sister, Maureen, a twin to her brother. She is survived by her daughter, Sharon; her son-in-law, Roger; and her brother, Maurice. Please leave memories of Carol or condolences for her family in the Guestbook below.