July 13, 1928 – January 28, 2023
Emma Jean Carroll Courville, age 94, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 28, 2023, in Friendswood, Texas.
Jean was born on July 13, 1928, to Willie and Lillian Carroll in Smackover, Arkansas. As a child, Jean and her parents moved to Many, Louisiana where she became a standout basketball player playing as a forward for Many High School. Her height and skills on the court are what assisted the team in winning the State Championship in 1944. Jean went on to graduate from Elton High School in 1946 and followed her lifelong dream of opening the only beauty shop along the main street of Elton.
Jean was a beautiful woman full of determination who carried herself with grace and elegance. Her glowing smile, strong personality and grit are the traits that caught the eye of her husband, LeRoy Courville in 1945. LeRoy and Jean married on April 1,1949, before moving to Lake Charles, Louisiana where together they began the next chapter of their lives and welcomed three beautiful children into the world. In 1971, Jean, LeRoy and their children moved to Conroe, Texas where she became a bus driver for Conroe Independent School District for 21 years.
After retirement, Jean loved to spend time with her husband while enjoying their favorite hobbies of gardening and traveling. Together, they traveled the United States and camped in numerous parks across the country. Her favorite time of year and place to camp was during Mardi Gras in Louisiana. Jean was an exceptional gardener with a green thumb, and she was a phenomenal cook. She showed her love to her family, friends and neighbors with gifts of vegetables and plants she grew. Jean was very proud of her family and fully invested in loving her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and watching them grow and accomplish many things.
Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Willie and Lillian Carroll and three silbings, James Carroll, Martha Lane and Irene Prudhomme.
Jean is survived by her husband LeRoy and three children and their spouses: Art Courville and his wife Barbara, Shea Scott and her husband Rick and Shan Wells and her husband Thomas. Jean was blessed with 6 grandchildren: Tammy, Erin, Bart, Justin, Brooke and Becca, as well as 13 great grandchildren, Julianne, Rylee, Abigail, Connor, Zac, BreAnn, Nicholas, Carter, Mackenzy, Kendall, Jacey, Cadence and Thomas.
Friends are cordially invited to the visitation with the family on Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. with the funeral service to follow at 2:00 P.M. at Jeter Memorial Funeral Home, 311 N. Friendswood Dr., Friendswood, Texas 77546 (281) 992-7200 with Rev. Jerry Stark officiating.
The family would like to give our sincerest thanks to Jackie Jean, Lucille Wilbur, Becky Gaffney and Essential Hospice for the loving care and compassion they provided for our mother.
1 thought on “Emma Jean Carroll Courville”
Jean and Leroy moved to Conroe the same year we did. We were so blessed to have them as neighbors. As a young couple having babies with no parents close to help us Jean became like a Grandmother to our three young boys. She always had cokes and candy for them. We called her in the middle of the night when I had our third son early. I still remember her coming in our house in her night gown carrying her alarm clock. Love and Blessings to you Leroy and all your family.