Louise Adams

Mrs. Louise Carthen Adams went to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, June 27, 2019. She was just shy of celebrating her 87th Birthday on July 30, 2019. She was born in the Crowders Mountain Community of Kings Mountain, NC to the late Jesse and Lueteacher (Smith) Carthen.

Her formal years of education were spent at Lincoln Academy. Here she learned how to be a good housekeeper and how to be an excellent seamstress. During her 8th grade year in junior high, Louise had to leave school and begin working full time to help support the family. She worked in the large homes on Franklin Boulevard; cleaning and taking care of the small children. Louise spent time working as a cafeteria worker in the public schools. She eventually started working in the cotton mills in Gastonia, NC as a spinner. Before retiring her last place of employment was Burlington Industries where she worked for 26 years.

Mrs. Adams was a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ, located in the Crowders Mountain Community. Under the loving leadership and guidance of Rev. Russell J. Shipman, a large number of her family members attended the church. During Rev. Shipman's tenure, her four youngest children were often at church, attended summer vacation bible school; and as preteens received their Christian confirmation and were baptized from the church.

Leading up to her retirement, Louise enjoyed taking a van load of friends to play Bingo in South Carolina. She could be seen driving her van to visit family and friends (Beulah, Nobie, Maybelline, and Sue). She enjoyed a good game of dominoes. And always enjoyed listening, dancing and singing to some good music. After the onset of dementia, she eventually moved to Brookdale Assistant Living.

Living at the foot of Crowders Mountain, the Great Depression was a hard time for Louise and her family. The government subsidy was not enough for the large family of 10 people. And often times the Cotton Farmers did not pay fair wages for a day's work. There were days when she and her siblings would arrive early to the schoolyard searching for lost coins so they might have something to eat for lunch. At the age of 12 she started working.

When the government welfare left the family in a worse situation, she told her children, "I will never depend on welfare to take care of my family." Therefore, the song, "I Climbing Up On the Rough Side of the Mountain" reminded her of what she had come through to offer a better life for herself and her children. At the age of 21, with her two young sons, Larry and Jerry she purchased her starter home. With her husband, Isaac and the four other children, she needed to add two more rooms to their home.

Louise was most happy spending time with her children, Larry Knox (Vickey) Kings Mountain, NC.; Jerry Knox (Gastonia, NC); Isaac Bell, Jr (Gastonia, NC); Denise (Thomas) Jackson (Dallas, NC); Shelia (Joseph) Dixon (Charlotte, NC); Thomas R. Bell (Kings Mountain, NC). Since she did not receive her high school diploma, this was her greatest desire for her children to receive their diploma. They were reminded throughout their upbringing, "You can have whatever you want out of life if you are willing to work for it."

She has 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren. All of them desired to spend time to get to know their grandmother. Some called her "Maw Maw Louise". Several of the grandchildren would come and spend the night at their Maw Maw Louise's house; plus some of the nephews and nieces. They knew Louise would help them out any way that she could. These were the same ones who would come to visit her at Brookdale Assistant Living and Peak Resources Nursing Facility. Most of them were present when she celebrated her 75th birthday at Ebenezer Baptist Church (Kings Mountain) and her 84th birthday at Aunt Nessie's house.

Her closest nephews and nieces were Randy and Terry Carthen, Gwen Kendricks, Gregory Bell, Lynn Dawkins, Deborah Webber, and her children, JJ, Jaron, and Arielle.

She is preceded in death by her siblings, James Carthen, Dorothy Setzer, Robert Carthen, Ella Wilson, and William Carthen. Plus Lucille Carthen who died as an infant. Her deceased husbands are Price Knox, Isaac Bell, and John Roosevelt Adams. And her deceased favorite grandson, L. Antuan Knox.

Her two surviving siblings are Leon Carthen (Oakland, California) and Coraine Webber (Greenville, SC). Plus a host of in-laws, cousins, nephews, and nieces.