Carolyn Ann Williams Hyden

Carolyn Ann Williams-Hyden went to join the Lord on April 9, 2025, after a loving lifetime as a wife, mother, and hard worker. She died from medical complications following two aneurysms years apart.

Carolyn was born May 15, 1950, in the Middle Valley of Tennessee to Carl Williams, Sr., and Dorotha Rawlston-Williams. She graduated from Soddy-Daisy High in 1968 and married her first husband, Robert L. Nolan, Sr., shortly after. She had a son, Robert, Jr., in 1970, and daughter, Patricia, in 1971, before they separated. Carolyn then married soldier Rickey D. Hall of Lancing, Tennessee, who helped raise Robert and Patricia during the ‘80s. This included a time overseas, living and raising her family briefly in Germany while Rickey served in Europe. Carolyn and Rickey adopted her third child, Anthony, in 1988 to provide the medical care he required at the time. Carolyn and Rickey separated in the early ‘90s, and she married Ronald Hyden of Greenville, Texas, in 1993, who joined her in raising Anthony. They would remain closely together the rest of her life. Carolyn was a dedicated worker who spent nearly a decade as an officer at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where she met Ronald and some of her life-long friends. She left the workforce in the late ‘90s and spent the rest of her time dedicated to raising her son and supporting her family, including her siblings and grandchildren. Chief among her many talents was her singing, followed by hairdressing, collecting fine china, and homemaking. Always strongly guided by her faith, she was a dedicated member of For Whosoever Will Ministries in Kempner, Texas, for nearly 20 years, where she provided Sunday School and Vacation Bible School programming. Carolyn’s love of animals extended to not just her own family’s small menagerie of pets over the years, but also neighborhood strays and other families’ pets in times of need. She would frequently say how they provided her another outlet for her care and compassion. She was a strong proponent of public schools, supporting her children’s education in Tennessee and Texas, including serving in booster clubs and support groups for events, teams, and organizations. Carolyn suffered her first aneurysm in the late 2010’s, then another in late March 2025. Her survivor’s spirit and internal strength maintained her until she knew her family was in good hands. The Lord called her home peacefully the night of April 9, 2025, in the care of Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Texas. 

Carolyn is preceded in death by her mother, Dorotha Rawlston-Williams; father, Carl Williams; siblings, Carl Williams, Jr., Jean Hillis, and Elaine Davis, all of Hixson, Tennessee; and oldest son, Robert, Jr., of Gatesville, Texas. 

She is survived by her husband, Ronald; daughter, Patricia Nolan; son, Anthony Hall; granddaughters, Stephanie Uren and Brittany Uren-DeRusha; grandson, Jeremy Uren; and three great-grandchildren. Carolyn was laid to rest Friday, April 11, at Restland Cemetery in Gatesville, Texas, next to her son, Robert. 

Carolyn A. Hyden, an inspiration of resilience, compassion, and faith, was 74.