By Dani Blackburn

Like many only children, Nocona senior Jamie Carpenter was the center of her parent’s universe.

A self proclaimed daddy’s girl, Jamie said her dad, Jimmy, was willing to do anything in the world for his daughter.

“There were times he would have a hard time with his blood sugar due to his diabetes, and it would cause him to not really be in his right mind,” said Jamie. “I would have to be the one who would talk him into drinking his orange juice and taking medicine because my mom couldn’t. But he would for me, because he would do anything for me.”

When describing her mother, Dawn, Jamie’s face lights up. Her mother, who was the Nocona Independent School District Director of Technology, was outgoing and the one who was “mom” to all of her friends.

“She would take all my friends and I to these extravagant, huge birthday parties,” said Jamie. “I had campouts for girls in our grade. When I was younger, she threw big birthday parties for me and the whole town was invited. I became a teenager and it turned into all my good girl friends.”

But her loving world crashed around her in February of 2013 when her parent’s vehicle was hit head on in Haskell County by a drunk driver, killing her mother instantly. The car was traveling back to Nocona from a basketball playoff game Jamie’s freshman year.

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