*Carly’s pride and joy are her sons: Whit, Levi, and Luke.*

*After their mother passed away, Carly and King (with their youngest children, Levi, London, and Jet) spent the weekend together in Northern Michigan in a cottage owned by their mother’s family.*

*Lindy and Richard, Carly and King’s parents, the year before they both became ill.*

Life doesn’t always turn out the way it is planned – but it turns out the way it is supposed to and most of the time, that’s even better. Such is the case with a beautiful, talented, and remarkable young woman from Texarkana who had plans to be a dancer in New York. It seems the culinary roots in Carly Loving’s family tree were more powerful than the draw of the Broadway lights. And the bond of her close-knit family remains the most powerful influence on her life of all.

Carly, who was born and raised in Texarkana, is the granddaughter of Bryce Lawrence, Sr. “My family owned Bryce’s Cafeteria for almost 80 years,” Carly explained with a deep sense of homage to her family history. “It was established in 1931 during The Depression. My grandfather said he wanted to name it after his first name in case it ever went out of business – he never wanted to put the family name down.” For anyone who lives in Texarkana, has lived in Texarkana, or has even passed thru Texarkana, it is obvious that was never a concern. Bryce’s will always be one of the Texarkana community’s most iconic and respected family businesses.

Childhood was filled with the activities of a “typical Southern family” – forts, camping, water skiing, canoeing, and even alligator spotlighting! What isn’t so typical is that one of the Lawrence children’s favorite playgrounds was the cafeteria which, at the time, was located downtown on Pine Street. Carly fondly recalled playing along with her brother, King, at their family’s establishment that also was the workplace of her father, Richard, and Uncle Bryce, Jr. “As a kid, I remember my brother and I spending hours (or it seemed like it) at the old location in Downtown Texarkana where there was this winding staircase in the BOH (back of house). It was a mini fort! The dining room, through my eyes as a child, was huge – and had an upstairs,” she smiled as she recalled. “I remember Mr. Leo helped carry all the plates to the upstairs dining area, and I was always so terrified the whole tray would drop! Still to this day, I do not think he dropped one.” For those fortunate enough to dine at Bryce’s, the experience wasn’t complete without a visit with Mr. Leo who greeted and served guests for more than 50 years.

Carly’s parents, Richard and Lindy, loved to entertain – so get-togethers, friends, and food were a huge part of their family life. And family, as Carly insisted, wasn’t just their immediate family of two children, but a family of seven. Her mother’s sister, Carol, had five children of her own. “My mother and my aunt would ‘take turns’ every weekend,” she shared. “Most of the time, they would rather have the five boys over rather than the two of ‘us’ girls!” She reminisced about her childhood as a wonderful time with no phone, no television, and both her mom and aunt constantly telling the boisterous clan of cousins to “GO OUTSIDE”!

A self-professed type-A personality, Carly grew up as a ballerina. “Dancing for 18 years was my passion, and I swore one day I would move to New York City and be on Broadway,” she confessed. “I loved the stage! Mom and I loved the costumes and the anticipation of being backstage.” A highlight for her was being cast as a snowflake in the community’s annual presentation of “The Nutcracker.” She was in seventh grade at the time but remembered it as if it was yesterday. “Mom let me pick out the Christmas tree that year, and I asked the lady for it to be flocked so it looked like it had snow on it,” she remembered. “Mom approved with grace and enthusiasm. It was one of my favorite Christmases to this day. And I still decorate with Winter Wonderland décor!”

For that little ballerina who had visions of snowflakes and Broadway, life had another path in store for Carly. After marrying and having her first child at the age of 20, Carly traded her dreams of a career in dance for being a mom and eventually allowing those culinary genes to lead her to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin to become a pastry chef. Her former husband, Tim, was also a chef so this was a natural fit for them and allowed them to create amazing cuisine together. Though she and Tim are no longer married, they co-parent their three sons Whit, Luke, and Levi very well.

*Five hours after Carly’s last and final surgery, she took this photo to capture what she had been through and to document the closing of that chapter of her life.*

Sadly, Carly lost both of her beloved parents at a young age – her mother just last year to breast cancer. Her love and admiration for them was apparent, and their impact on her life profound. It seems Carly is a marvelous combination of her outgoing dad she described as the “outdoors guy” and her beautiful mother who was the epitome of grace and style.

“My parents’ deaths were extremely hard for both my brother and me. They were high school sweethearts and died 18 months apart from each other, both at the age of 65. My dad was diagnosed with cirrhosis, and my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. It all happened at once and was a very turbulent time,” Carly shared.

As her dad’s health was declining, her mom was fighting for her life. She went through chemotherapy, radiation, multiple surgeries, and a double mastectomy. “I will never forget the night we both drank a bottle of wine (or two!) and I had the privilege of shaving the hair off her head,” Carly recalled. “As much as she went through, I never saw her cry. She never let anyone feel sorry for her. Heck, she would barely let anyone even help fix her a sandwich. She was so strong, positive, and fearless when it came to her recovery. I was in awe watching her through the process. She was my absolute hero and best friend.”

Around the time Carly’s mom was diagnosed, she had genetic testing done as did Carly. They both tested positive for the BRAC2 gene. “I remember at the time not thinking much about it, but then watching Mom go through the entire process, I began to realize that she had given me an enormous gift. Out of all the things that she had gone through, it seemed as though the double mastectomy was the easiest of all of them. So I made a promise to her. I told her that my 40th birthday gift to her would be a preventive double mastectomy.”

Unfortunately, Lindy passed away before Carly had the surgery. But as Carly said emphatically, “A promise is a promise!” Three months after turning 40, in October of last year, Carly underwent a preventive double mastectomy – just as promised – and started her own journey. This October of 2020, she had her final surgery. “It took me five years of making appointments with doctors, and then always canceling them,” she admitted. “When I finally showed up, my doctor said to me, ‘You are late, and I do not wait for people who are late - but you have been on my books for years, and I wanted to meet you.’ I immediately started crying and knew that this was just the girl I needed to get the job done.”

Carly confided that the process was much more difficult than she imagined. The tissue expanders were extremely painful, and she had minor nerve damage in her right arm that caused problems for about eight months. “The strangest part about it that I think no one talks about is the loss of feeling you have,” she shared. “I remember my doctor telling me if you ever spill a cup of boiling water on your chest area, you will not be able to feel it – and she was right!”

*Right after their mother’s funeral, King and Carly celebrated her life with family and friends at their parents’ home in Texarkana.*

When asked how she remained strong through the entire process, Carly rather matter-of-factly stated, “I had to do it, and then just did it.” She acknowledged she had an amazing support group in her Aunt Carol and her brother and sister-in-law. “They were my biggest cheerleaders – and my boys stepped up, too, and became very helpful around the house,” Carly said proudly. Perhaps her greatest source of strength was her mom. “I just knew if my Mom could do it, so could I. She was there with me every step of the way. And, in the end, I know my mother is smiling down at me and my brother. He has become the protector of our family now, and I could not be more thankful to have him by my side through these past two years. It’s funny how life works out, because I remember him saying to me after our dad passed away, ‘If we ever lose Mom, you will have to be the strong one.’ Turned out to be the exact opposite.”

Though the path of Carly’s life has included immense challenges, these experiences have shaped the person she is today. “I wrote this on my Facebook page recently – I honestly believe so much in it. I used to always say that knowledge is power, but it is not. It is just potential. It is applying the knowledge that’s power, and THAT is what brings you wisdom. I am grateful and counting my blessing that Mom was able to give me this gift for my children. We owe this all to her.”

Feature Stories

Counting Her Blessings