Carolyn Jean Driver, 80, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 27, 2025. She was born in Raleigh, Mississippi, to Alexander Hamilton Thornton and Hettie Myrtle Thornton. Carolyn dedicated 33 years of her life to Ridgeland Discount Drugs, where she worked as a trusted pharmacy technician. Before that, she spent meaningful time working at the Mississippi School for the Blind and learned American Sign Language at the Mississippi School for the Deaf. She passed that love of signing on to her granddaughter Rhianna, who went on to become an interpreter—one of Carolyn’s many quiet legacies.
Those who knew Carolyn will forever remember her kindness and her sweet, gentle spirit. She had a mischievous streak and a sense of humor that could brighten any room. She loved a good prank, a good laugh, and a good game night—though she was famously a “sore winner.” Carolyn loved to cook and was constantly discovering new recipes to try in her kitchen. She was an artist at heart, expressing herself through painting and poetry. Her yard was always bursting with life, filled with flowers and plants of every kind. She savored the outdoors, a good adventure, good music—especially Elvis—and the joy of simply being with the people she loved.
She never met a stranger and carried kindness everywhere she went. Her phone was filled with photos of her family, which she looked through often, cherishing every memory. And she had her signature phrases—“good good,” “good thinking,” and “good stroke”—little pieces of her that those who loved her will forever hear in their hearts. Carolyn’s legacy is one of love, humor, creativity, and gentle strength. She touched countless lives and will be deeply missed.
Carolyn was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Robert, Lloyd, Farrell, and O.C. Thornton; and many loved ones who surely welcomed her home. She is survived by her husband, Craig Driver; her daughters, Tracy Sebren and Jean Robertson (husband Rusty); and her grandchildren, Rhianna Langham and Cooper Robertson, along with a large and loving extended family of many other grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To all of them—and to anyone fortunate enough to know her—she was simply “Gammey.”
The funeral service, officiated by Reverend Johnathan McLemore, will be at Colonial Funeral Home on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 2:00pm. Friends may visit with the family from 1:00pm until service time. Carolyn will be laid to rest in Woodlawn Cemetery assisted by Rusty Robertson, Keyshawn Moore, Mike Langham, Christopher Langham, Corey Langham, and Cal Hardacre serving as pallbearers.
