Carol Escoubas Fortenberry

     Carol Escoubas Fortenberry, 75, went to be with the Lord Saturday morning, August 26, 2017 after being lovingly cared for by her family, along with the teams at Stonebridge Assisted Living in Sulphur, LA, and Brighton Bridge Hospice. Born September 4, 1941 in Sulphur, she was the first born to her parents Louis Arthur (Art) and Lois Cole King.   She married her high school sweetheart, Donald Ray Escoubas, on April 29, 1957. Ray passed away suddenly from a heart condition in 1995. In 2000, Carol met and married Clayton Fortenberry of Amarillo, TX. They were together through his battle with lung cancer and in 2003 he also passed away. Carol was a school bus driver for the Calcasieu Parish School Board and drove her bus for 21 years. From her childhood until her passing she was a dedicated and faithful member of Houston River Baptist Church. Over the years she served as the Director of the Women’s Missionary Union, she taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Training Union classes. She participated in choir, served on the Pastor Search Committee, and for the past several years worked alongside her friends on the church’s Kitchen Committee.

     Carol enjoyed tending her vast vegetable and flower gardens, canning, and cooking for family and friends. Whether she was at home in Sulphur or staying at the family cabin in Colorado, she was always asked to bring her famous chicken and dumplings to any gathering. She loved visiting and would often take meals to shut-ins or invite friends over for a meal and to play games. She loved the beach and enjoyed traveling, listening to southern gospel and reading her Mission Mosaic magazine along with her Bible.

     Carol is survived by her son, Doug Escoubas and his wife Belinda of Prairieville, LA, and two daughters, Susan Mire and her husband Michael of Sulphur, LA, and Nancy Marshall and her husband Chris of Greencastle, PA; seven grandchildren, Brandi Sonnier, Jacob Escoubas, Coby Mire, Kasen Mire, Haley Smoot, Jared Marshall and Cade Marshall; and three great grandchildren, Bailey and Tyler Sonnier and Liam Smoot. Carol is also survived by her two sisters, Donna Banken and her husband John of Bridge City, TX, and Sharon Trahan and her husband Curtis of Sulphur, as well as a sister-in-law, Kathleen Long and her husband Terry of Sulphur, and a brother-in-law, Joseph Roy Escoubas of Stillwater, OK, along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She will be greatly missed by all.

   Visitation will be at Johnson and Robison’s Funeral Home in Sulphur on Saturday, September 2 from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held at Houston River Baptist Church, 110 W. Houston River Road, Sulphur, at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 3, with visitation at the church from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m. Pastor Lonnie Gothrup will officiate the service. Interment will be at Big Woods Cemetery in Edgerly immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family would like memorial contributions to be sent to the International Mission Board (IMB, Attn: Development, P.O. Box 6767, Richmond, VA 23230), which supports Southern Baptist missionaries and the spread of the gospel throughout the world.