Ms. Almeda Carroll

April 14, 1920 - September 29, 2021

To view the lifestream service for Almeda Carroll: www.sligochurch.org Almeda Scott Carroll was born, the second of eight children, to the late Ira David Scott, Sr. and Madgie Hawkins Scott of Enfield, North Carolina (N.C.). Almeda was raised in a Christian home—her father, a Baptist minister, and her mother, a God-fearing woman with a kind heart. At age 90, Almeda would claim that an early Christian upbringing was the beginning of a wonderful life. Almeda grew up on farmland and enjoyed the simple pleasures of picking wildflowers to decorate the house, and fruit for her mother to bake delicious pies. She often shared many stories of her childhood, including how her mother packed their lunches with such love and care each day before she and her siblings went to White Hill Elementary School. Almeda graduated from Weldon High Public School in Weldon, N.C., after which she married Milton Newman of Brandywine, Maryland and moved to the Washington, D.C. area. Milton’s employment relocated them to other areas, including Maine and Massachusetts, before settling back in Washington, D.C. Milton and Almeda raised four children: Gloria, Sonya, Tanya, and Julio Newman. While the children were young, Almeda worked in various types of jobs including the retail and restaurant industries. Searching for greater professional opportunities, Almeda landed employment with two prominent endodontists, Drs. Milobsky and Kaplan, in Washington, D.C. She leveraged her strong work ethic to master her skills as a dental hygienist. She gained the trust, friendship, and admiration of her employers, who fell in love with her humble and warm personality. While working as a dental hygienist, Almeda became acquainted with, and had personal interactions with notable individuals, including the Kennedys, the Nixons, and numerous ambassadors and members of Capitol Hill. Being very modest, Almeda rarely spoke about these interactions, but she was blessed to find favor in the eyes of many in her work environment. In addition to her strong work ethic, she was kind, loving and caring. During her lunch hour, she would visit the sick at Doctor’s Hospital. Her dental patients were so fond of her, that they would ask her to visit their ill friends at Doctor’s. She said her proudest career accomplishments consisted of working as a dental hygienist (for over 30 years) and helping others. After her husband passed, Almeda remarried to Eric Dean Carroll, from Nassau, Bahamas. From this union, three children were added to the family: Angela, Eric Jr., and Terri Jo. Eric and Almeda attended DuPont Park Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), where Almeda served as an usher. She truly lived a life of faith in Jesus. Not only did she instruct her children how to live a godly life, but she was a most beautiful role model. She loved unconditionally and intentionally, opening her home to others, providing a meal or allowing them to stay if needed. Several family and friends relocating to Washington, D.C. stayed with Almeda as they got their bearings. Almeda’s faith in God provided her the strength she needed to persevere after losing her husband and son, Eric, Jr, in a boating accident in 1967. She went on to raise her two younger children, along with numerous grandchildren, even nursing some of her grown children back to health in her later years. She was incredibly devoted to providing and caring for her children. Her story became sweeter as she aged. Rebaptized in the early 1980s, she loved the Metropolitan SDA Church, serving as a deaconess and a lay leader for the Community Services ministry, and the 50 Plus Group. She often visited her mother and father in N.C. to help care for them, and spent quality family time with her siblings, who all remained close. She was blessed to travel to Jerusalem with her sister, Mattie, and helped carry the cross where Jesus walked; an event that was of great importance and significance to her. Almeda’s home became an everyday meeting place for her large family. She often had a home full of company, mainly because she loved entertaining and celebrating people. She was very proud of her family, saying that her proudest moments were at dinnertime when her family said grace and ate together. Her village grew, and when she reached the milestone age of 100, her District of Columbia community joined in celebrating the life her village had shared together for over 30 years. Almeda was easy going, gentle, loving, funny, and full of spunk. She proved that she could relate to any generation. She intentionally lived out loud and was blessed and highly favored of God. She prayed aloud at any time during the day, praising the Lord for His blessings on her life. She looked forward to living with her Savior and her loved ones and desired that all would be saved. At the age of 101, Almeda went to sleep in Jesus on Wednesday, September 28, 2021, now awaiting Christ’s return. Almeda was preceded in death by: her first husband, Milton Newman; her second husband, Eric D. Carroll, Sr.; her son, Eric D. Carroll, Jr.; her daughter, Sonya A. Person; her grandchildren, Israel Santiago, Julio Santiago, Dement Person, Norfleet Person; her parents, Ira David Scott, Sr. and Madgie Hawkins Scott; her sisters, Mattie Scott and Catherine Proctor; and her brothers, Clarence, Ira David, Jr., and Lonnie Scott. Almeda is survived by five children, Gloria Santiago of Hyattsville, Maryland, Tanya Jenkins (Alphonso) of Halifax, North Carolina, Julio Newman (Thelma) of Santa Maria, California, Angela Bell (James) of Cheverly, Maryland, and Terri Jo Hayes of Wheaton, Maryland; nine grandchildren, Edwin Santiago, Erika Person, Alphonso Jenkins (Lilian), Tracey Jenkins, Carlos Jenkins, Valdez Jenkins (Tracy), Kim Collins (Bruce), Ashlyn Hayes, and Gregory Hayes; 13 great-grandchildren; two siblings, Ruth O. Freeman and Jonathan Scott; and many relatives and close friends in Almeda’s Village within the United States and Bahamas. We honor her memory, carry her in our hearts, and look forward to seeing our Earth Angel again at Christ’s Second Coming.