Carmen Sue Hulehan Love was born December 28, 1941, to Horace and Deloma
Hulehan in Sikeston, Missouri and departed this life peacefully on March 9, 2023, at St. Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Missouri after a brief illness.
Carmen graduated from Sikeston High School in 1959 and had many fond memories of the Red Peppers, journalism activities, and an active life in the First Baptist youth group which was led by her beloved uncle. She had a reputation as a rule follower that continued as an adult much to her husband’s chagrin, earning her the nickname “Sunday School Sue”. After high school she followed her big brother Jerome to the University of Missouri in Columbia graduating with a degree in elementary education. After meeting a cute farm boy from Parma, MO at Mizzou, she rushed through college in three years to hurry and marry him.
She was joined in marriage to Tom Love on August 19, 1962, at First Baptist Church in Sikeston, Missouri where she was married by that same beloved uncle, Homer Stallings, who had led her in church youth group. Tom became the love of her life and they enjoyed 60 years of marriage together. After a “luxurious” honeymoon and fine dining at the Jolly Cone in Van Buren, MO, their years of fun together began.
Life soon became an adventure of travel for Tom and Carmen as they followed Tom’s career in the Marine Corps from Quantico, Virginia, Pensacola, Florida, Milton, Florida, and finally Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. These travels for two kids who had never ventured far from Missouri instilled a passion for travel to see this beautiful country that lasted literally until Carmen’s death. After Tom’s discharge from the Marine Corp, they decided they wanted to raise their two young daughters, Tommie and Tracy, in a small town and after a brief stop in Sikeston they put down roots in Dexter, Missouri in 1967. Tom settled in agricultural lending and after taking off from teaching for a few years to raise her preschool children, Carmen began a long 30-year career teaching elementary education in Bernie, Missouri. Teaching was never just a job to Carmen, it was a passion to instill motivation and a love for learning to all who were in her class. This love for teaching flowed into every aspect of her life including three decades of teaching Sunday school at First Baptist Church in Dexter as well as instilling a desire for knowledge to her children and grandchildren.
Carmen was very active in many facets of the community as well, including commissioner of youth softball, helping to initiate Relay for Life after her battle with cancer, years volunteering with cancer support groups, teaching Reach for Recovery classes, grief support classes, as well as support groups for grandparents who were raising their grandchildren. In 2001, she was awarded Dexter Citizen of the year in honor of her countless hours of volunteer work and was inducted into the Bernie Schools Teacher Hall of Fame.
Carmen’s greatest joys, however, came from raising her family and later being Grandma and Gaga to four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She and Tom would put four little boys in a motorhome and set out for two weeks every summer to travel through 49 states, just as they had previously done with their daughters. This forever impacted them and left them all with a sense of adventure and hunger for knowledge. Carmen also remained faithful in her church service for over 50 years of attendance at her beloved First Baptist Church of Dexter and later at Trinity United Methodist Church in Bloomfield.
In addition to her parents, Carmen was preceded in death by her sisters Bonita Johnson and Glenda Gayle Hulehan and big brother Jerome Hulehan. She is survived by her husband Tom Love; siblings: Wayne Hulehan of Alexandria, Virginia; Sandy Hulehan of Pensacola, Florida; Rita Chapman and husband Mark of Pensacola. She is also survived by her two daughters Tommie Love-Moellering and husband Rob of O’Fallon, MO, Tracy Hedrick and husband Alan of Dexter, and much-loved bonus daughter Eliana (OJ) Alvarez of Buenos Aires, Argentina, her grandchildren Zach (Erin) Hedrick, Morgan (Tamela) Hedrick, Nathan (Rabia) Durfee, Matthew (Molly) Durfee, Alicia Moellering and Jessica Moellering; Cherished in-laws Maxine Hedrick, Renee and Pierre Sauvaget. She is also survived by her most recent passions, her two great-grandchildren Russell Thomas Hedrick and Evelyn Love Hedrick. By nieces and nephews, Brad, Chad, Marti, Todd, Evan, Janie, Karen, Mark and Alan who loved her dearly and countless friends and former students.
