Carol Rae Armstrong Wentz passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Jan. 27, 2024. She was born on Dec. 6, 1943 in Tulsa, Okla., the only child of Leonard Ray Armstrong and Birdie Rosetta Barnard Armstrong. While she was petite in stature, Carol brought an outsized amount of kindness, thoughtfulness, and love to her friends and family especially to her beloved grandsons.

Carol graduated from Central High School in Tulsa in 1962. She attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, earning an associates degree in business in 1964. Her career blossomed as she worked in a variety of schools and businesses in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Louisiana. Carol met her husband, Buddy, during a chance encounter at a real estate office in Metairie. He walked in to close a deal and walked out with Carol; the rest was history.

Carol and Buddy raised their daughter, Annie, in Dallas before moving to Lake Charles in 1993. It was in Lake Charles where Carol made lasting friendships as a parent at St. Louis Catholic and as an active volunteer at First Methodist United Church. Later in life, she cared for her husband during his illness and relocated to New Orleans to be closer to her daughter and grandsons.

Fastidious and organized, Carol applied her secretarial skills to most aspects of her life as a homemaker. She was an expert gift giver, never missing a birthday or important date.

“Mawmaw” was always prepared with Pepperidge Farm cookies and Bluebell ice cream for her grandsons and milk bones for her grand-dog. Carol could size people up on the spot and deliver a caring sentiment when needed most.

Carol is preceded in death by her husband, Mark D. “Buddy” Wentz III. She is survived by her daughter, Annie Wentz (Max); grandsons, Bruce and Gus Tête; nephew, Jay Jones (Kim); niece, Christy Norem (Tim); six grandnieces and grandnephews, and a host of cherished friends.

Funeral services will be held at First United Methodist Church in Lake Charles on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 at 11 a.m. followed by private interment. A memorial will be held at Lambeth House in New Orleans on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 at 11 a.m. with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to First United Methodist Church or the Alzheimer’s Association.