Carol R Sheppard

On Saturday, March 28th our sweet mom, Carol Royston Sheppard, laid her burden down. While we will miss her terribly, we cannot help but rejoice in knowing that she is finally free of pain and back in the arms of her loving husband, Cecil, after 4 1/2 years apart.

On January 4, 1943, Jack and Edith (Pruitt) Royston welcomed Carol into this world. Jack was off in the Army and Edith was living in a little house on her Grandma Pruitt’s property in Damascus, VA. Carol’s roots were planted deep there, even though the family moved numerous times over the years between Ohio and Southwest Virginia.

Carol spent her high school days in Bristol, VA and graduated from Virginia High School. Her family eventually moved to Decatur, GA where she met a tall handsome stranger in a punch card class at Dekalb Technical College. The pair married just six months later in August of 1965. In January of ’67 they welcomed firstborn, Monica, and then daughter, Jennifer, in April of ’71.

Carol was the best wife and mother that anyone could ask for. She poured every ounce of herself into her family. She kept a spotless home, often perplexing her daughters by cleaning things that weren’t even dirty. She cooked the most delicious and healthy meals, always getting dinner on the table just as Cecil arrived home from work each day. Even years later, Cecil would reminisce about her getting up at 3 a.m. to prepare a hot breakfast for him before he headed out for hunting excursions.

Birthdays and holidays always felt special, and her family’s needs were met in the most complete ways. She volunteered to be room mother, chaperone, carpool driver, troop leader, Sunday School teacher, and costume maker, just to name a few.

She never did things halfway and brought grace and style to everything she accomplished.

Food was the way that Carol most often shared her love for her family, even after she lost the ability to cook. She and Cecil kept a large garden for many years and she would can and freeze food to serve throughout the year. She loved finding and creating recipes to share with friends and family.

When Carol's daughters were well on their way to completing their education goals, Carol re-entered the workforce, excelling in learning all about securities investments at Marshall and Company in Buckhead, and later managing the office of Strategic Portfolio Management in Dunwoody. As always, she was a leader and totally committed to supporting the goals of the business.

Upon retirement, the pair moved back to Carol’s beloved homeland in Southwest Virginia where she helped care for older relatives as they declined. Following Cecil’s death after 56 years of marriage, she moved to The Spires at Berry College in Rome, Georgia where she immediately made new friends and established a lending library with donated books for the residents at Magnolia Place Assisted Living. She made even more friends with whom she shared her strong faith and encouragement when she moved to a smaller facility, Cave Spring Manor, last year.

Carol’s pride in her children and only grandchild, Ramsey, was never questioned. She was notorious for bragging on the people she loved. On the night before she died, she introduced her “illustrious granddaughter, Ramsey” to the nurse who was simply testing her awareness. She took great joy in hearing of the accomplishments of family near and far, and her caregivers knew her to be a strong cheerleader for them and their families.

People always felt that they could share with Carol because she received their stories with an open and gracious heart. She would listen, pray, encourage, and remember, all with love and very little judgement. Carol’s faith was a guiding force in her life and a light to those who knew her.

Carol leaves behind her two daughters, Monica (boyfriend Steve) and Jennifer (husband Richard and his two daughters), her granddaughter, Ramsey, a loving sister, Regina Clifton (husband Del), their children and grandchildren and many generations of cousins whom she dearly loved.

If you knew Carol, know that she wished the very best for you forever and always, and let’s remember to carry such encouragement forward in her honor.

The service for Carol will be conducted at Rome First United Methodist Church at 2 pm on Saturday, May 16th. A gathering of family and friends will follow at The Screen Door Room at Cecil T's Mercantile at 7 Broad Street.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made in her name to the Trails to Recovery organization, helping Southwest Virginia recover after Hurricane Helene. Visit http://trailstorecovery.com/ and please note Carol Sheppard in the ‘In Honor Of’ field.