Jill (Carter) Spearman

Jill Carter Spearman prematurely passed away on February 1, 2023, mostly from a broken heart. A little piece of her left us when her husband also precipitously died in 2021. In addition to her husband, Alvin Lee Spearman, Sr., she was preceded in death by her father, Jerry Carter. She is survived by her two sons, Colby Roddam of Henderson, Texas and Alvin Lee Spearman, Jr. (Ben) of Tyler, Texas. Her mother, Betty J. Carter of Austin, Texas; her brother, Ron Carter (and his wife, Kerri) of Melbourne, Australia; her sister, Kimberly Carter (and her husband, Paul) and her niece and nephew, Sloane and Aiden Tindall all of Austin, Texas.

We wanted to share a few things that we loved about Jill. There is a small group of young people that she mentored and cheered on so that they could be their best. Aaron Autrey, (who describes Jill as his "Mr. Miyagi to my Daniel") and Callie Hand, (a summa cum laude college graduate headed to graduate school in the fall) are her latest legacies that benefited from her investment in their futures. Jill could do this because she possessed a wonderful combination of compassion, a deep depth of knowledge to share, and a stubbornness to not let go of a project or a person.

She loved to cook and with her passing, we will reveal that her secret to making delicious dishes was to add a stick of butter. Jill would also want folks to know that it's crazy to vacation where it's cold and that comfort is of the utmost importance. In her world, everyone should have a cozy pair of socks, a fluffy robe and pants with an elastic waistband. She was a fighter that turned the tragedy of her husband's untimely death into a fight to ensure that what happened to her family does not happen to other families. She quietly hoped that "maybe I'll make a difference."

The family would like to invite friends for a time of visitation from 3:00-5:00 pm on Sunday, February 12, 2023. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Monday, February 13, 2023. The casket will be closed for the visitation. She made this decision after Alvin's funeral and there is a funny story behind it that we might get around to telling at her funeral.