Caroline Dixon Wrisley

Caroline started her nursing career at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, NC. She worked in several different units including cardiac surgery, endoscopy, and urgent care. Her career continued at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, KY and Frederick Heath Hospital in Frederick, MD. In 2007, Caroline began her career with Atrium Health in Charlotte, NC. She worked in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) at Carolinas Medical Center while also teaching adult health clinicals and nurse aide classes. Caroline found her calling in nursing education. In 2009 she accepted a permanent part-time faculty position teaching behavioral health nursing for Carolinas College of Health Sciences (CCHS) while continuing to care for PACU patients. After six years of teaching behavioral health clinical applications, Caroline joined the CCHS faculty full time in 2015.

Beloved by her students and colleagues, Caroline received many accolades throughout her teaching career. Most notably, Caroline was a finalist for the prestigious Atrium Health Pinnacle Award in 2020. She was honored as the Carolinas College of Health Science Outstanding Educator of the Year in 2020 and 2023. Caroline was humbled by the recognition and took great pride in the fact that she continued to work and teach for six years after her diagnosis and before retirement. She and Glenn are members of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Clayton.

Caroline was a beautiful and kindhearted mother, wife, daughter, and friend. She loved flowers and working in her garden, exploring thrift stores, and spending time with friends and family. She loved to meet new people and share stories. Caroline had an amazing memory and could recall the smallest details of stories even years later. Caroline was an accomplished runner, completing several half marathons and a full marathon. She loved the water and created many cherished memories at the beach and on the lake. Caroline had a wonderful sense of humor and an unforgettable smile.

A celebration for Caroline’s life will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 11:00am at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Clayton. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the fellowship hall of the church.

Caroline is survived by her husband of 31 years, Glenn Wrisley; children, Megan and Clayton Wrisley; parents, Winston and Mimi Dixon; sister, Natalie Fowkes and her husband Andrew Fowkes; and her niece, Joanna Fowkes.

Caroline found support and purpose through volunteerism after her 2017 lung cancer diagnosis. She was driven to educate and raise funds for the Lung Cancer Initiative (LCI) of North Carolina. LCI is a leading non-profit organization supporting lung cancer research and education. Caroline believed her almost 9 years of survival was a direct result of such research and always said, “more can be done”. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in honor of Caroline Wrisley to https://lungcancerinitiative.org/