After seven and a half years of battling cancer, Pi Theta Phi social club sponsor Lisa Carr died Sunday, surrounded by her family.
A memorial service will be held in her honor today at 4 p.m., in the Family Life Center at Downtown Church of Christ.
During Lisa Carr’s time at Harding, she held a home Bible study with hundreds of different Harding students and made a lasting impact on many of them.
Junior Natalie Heyen began attending Lisa Carr’s Bible study during her freshman year.
“She was so wonderful, gracious, kind and genuine,” Heyen said. “She was so positive it’s hard to describe her in just one word. She was so good at looking at the good side of things and helping others see that good side.”
Heyen met her fiance Jamie Carr, Lisa Carr’s son, because of this Bible study. Heyen said that she asked Jamie Carr about how his mom was doing one day at school, which led to their friendship and later engagement.
PTP used their meeting time on Monday night to honor Lisa Carr and her legacy. PTP member senior Kallsy Mitchell said the club spent time singing, praying, sharing scripture and sharing stories about how Lisa Carr impacted them. By using Google Hangouts, many PTP alumnae took part in the meeting as well. Mitchell described it as “an emotional but beautiful night, knowing that she is no longer in pain.”
“God used (Lisa Carr) as a tool not only in my life, but in the lives of so many others,” Mitchell said. “I know my life would never be the same had I not met her, because she taught me a lot about the power of prayer, forgiveness and loving others and myself unconditionally.”
Mitchell’s words about Lisa Carr are echoed by others, including 2011 graduate and PTP alumna Ashley Reeves.
“She was just a spiritual giant in my life, I guess you could say: a spiritual mentor to me,” Reeves said.
Through her battle with cancer, Lisa Carr remained spiritually strong.
“She took it one day at a time, and she never really felt defeated,” Heyen said. “She saw it as ‘this is how I’m feeling today,’ and that verse that says each day has troubles of its own, that’s how she lived. She never let herself worry about tomorrow and let that day worry for itself.”
Lisa Carr and her husband Tom Carr attended Harding in the late 1970s, and soon after they met, he realized that she was more than just a pretty face.
“When I met her I thought she was cute and sweet — not bad reasons to like a girl — but the more I got to know her, I saw a spiritual depth that I had never seen in someone my age and I loved it,” Tom Carr said. “She was a fantastic life partner to me and I realize it’s a cliche, but she truly was my best friend.”
