AMANDA CARTER, 1945 - 2007

Amanda was a member of the original Pink Dragon Ladies team. Without our own boat and with no budget, the team could only practice on the water when it was convenient for the Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute to lend us one of the two boats in town. So, Amanda and the team often practiced in a USF meeting room on folding chairs using yardsticks as paddles.

Amanda stood out on the team with her slender, athletic physique and curly blonde hair. Her training as a runner made her a highly motivated paddler and a good role model, but her first love was running. She returned to it exclusively after our first race in April of 2005. I sensed that she knew that her time was limited, and she wanted to focus her energy on her family and her running buddies. “Once a Pink, always a Pink.”

- Provided by Liz O’Connell

OBITUARY

Amanda L. (Caughey) Carter, 62, of Plant City, Fla., passed away April 12, 2007. She is survived by her husband of 40 years, C. Brooks; her daughter, Juliane Sullivan; her son, Todd Alfred; four grandchildren; and her siblings, Julia Ann Kohlman, and Charles, Michael, Patrick and Richard Caughey.

Born in Key West, Fla., and raised in Houston, Texas, she was a first grade teacher at Knights Elementary School and was awarded Teacher of the Year for 2007-2008.

Amanda touched many lives through teaching at such places as Knights Elementary School, St. Ann Interparochial School in Morganfield, Ky., Holy Name Catholic School in Henderson, Ky., and St. Patrick' s Catholic Church School in Tampa.

She also cherished the many friends met while pursuing her hobby, running. She was an avid recreational runner with more than 16 marathons and countless other races to her credit.

She was an usher, Sunday school teacher and member of the "Church Mice" at St. Clement Catholic Church in Plant City. She will be missed dearly by all who knew her.

Published in the Tampa Bay Times on Apr. 17, 2007