Theresa Irene “Tippy” Carver, 65, has died, succumbing peacefully to a years-long battle with leukemia.
She was born and raised in Izmir, Turkey, by an English father and Austrian mother. Her father, Stanley Peartree, was a tobacco merchant who sold Turkish tobacco to several American, British and European cigarette companies; Tippy’s father-in-law, Jim Carver Sr., was one of Stanley’s clients and friends.
Her mother, Marie Louise (neé Cramer) Peartree, held the Austrian royal title of Baroness von Cramer. Upon the baroness’ death in 2002, that title passed to Tippy, and it now passes to her daughter and son. Tippy was fluent in four languages: English, French, Turkish and Greek; and was conversant in German and Italian.
Tippy moved to the U.S. in the mid-1970s, living first in Alabama, then in St. Louis, Mo. In St. Louis, she was a proposals developer and editor for Emerson Electric. After moving to North Carolina, she worked first as a technical editor for Cisco Systems, and finally in the administrative department of FirstHealth Hospice, where she made and kept many friends.
Forced to retire from hospice in 2010 due to her declining health, she nonetheless kept in close touch with many of her former co-workers there. When it became apparent that her time was short and she was admitted into the hospice program, her hospice colleagues embraced her and treated her as tenderly and with as much care imaginable. Many of them gathered around Tippy and her family in her final hours at the FirstHealth Hospice House.
Tippy is survived by her husband of 23 years, Jim; daughter, Tiffany Peartree; son, Mark Jacobs; granddaughter, Corinne Jenkins; an aunt in England; Cramer relatives in Izmir; and many friends.
Her funeral service will be held at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Southern Pines on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 11 am. Also scheduled for the same day is a memorial funeral Mass in the Santa Maria Catholic Church, in Bornova, the borough of Izmir where Tippy grew up and the church where she worshipped, for her family and friends there.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made in her name to FirstHealth Hospice, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374.
Online condolences may be lmade at www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
Boles Funeral Home is assisting the family.
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