Betty Lou Oswalt (aka Carol "Gams" Woolfolk) was born on January 23, 1929, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was called by the Lord to sing in his choir on March 8, 2022. She was surrounded by her loving family as she started the next phase of her life. She is preceded in death by her parents John Thomas and Alice Oswalt, her sister Helen Alston, brother Eddie Oswalt, all from Mississippi; her first husband, Stan Golub, and second husband, William Woolfolk, both from Houston.

She is survived by her son, Matthew Golub and his wife, Andrea, from Dallas; daughter Sharon Mendoza and her husband, Longino of Houston. Grandchildren Emanuel "Manny" Mendoza and his fiancé Lorraine, Paul Mendoza, and his wife Meagan, all from Houston; and Nathan Golub and his wife Randa from Dallas. She was fortunate to touch the lives of her great grandchildren Avree Mendoza, Lorenzo Mendoza, Ryder Mendoza, and Chloe Luna. And many, many other friends and family that she touched during her 93 years.

To say that she lived a full and unconventional life is an understatement. She was raised in Alligator, Mississippi as Betty Lou during the Great Depression. She was drawn to music at an early age in the segregated South. She was taught to play the piano by the only family with a piano in Alligator - an African American family - without the knowledge of others. After graduating high school, she was accepted into the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where she studied opera. Betty Lou was drawn to glitz and glamour that didn't come with opera. She entered show business after graduation as Carol Blane -the first of many names – and toured around the East Coast and Canada for several years. She met her first husband during this time and moved into the next phase of her life as a loving mother in Memphis, TN. She continued singing and was on a local Memphis morning program for several years. She and her family moved to Houston in the early 70s and she made this her home for the remainder of her life.

After her children were grown, she started a new phase in life as Gams to her grandchildren, their friends, extended family and friends and just about anyone else she met. In addition to her Gams responsibilities, she continued singing in local churches and joined The Skylarks as their lead vocalist. She toured around assisted living facilities in Texas between the 1990s and 2000s.

No matter what phase of her life she was in (or whatever her name was), she lived life to the fullest and spread joy wherever she was. Her unconditional love touched everyone, and she exuded pure joy in all her interactions. She is loved by everyone and will be missed by all. She was active up until her last few days when she decided it was time to go meet her sister and other family members on the other side.

The family wants to send a special thank you to her care giver angels for the past few years: Dr Aga Kuliev, June Lute, and Linda Ramen. And most importantly, we want to acknowledge the dedication and care that Sharon and Longino provided our Gams; especially for the past 2 years. Gams was extremely fortunate they were in her life and made her final years peaceful.

The Celebration of Life - It's All About Gams - will be at 10:00 am at Klein Funeral Home at 9719 Wortham Blvd, Houston TX 77065. There will be a short visitation at 9:00am at the same location. Interment will be at Klein Memorial Park in Pinehurst.

If you knew Gams, you know she loved hats. We encourage everyone to wear a hat while we celebrate. Don't worry if you don't have one, we will have plenty to share.