Carol Robinson Whatley

Carol Robinson Whatley was born in Dayton Ohio on October 3, 1949, and passed away in Canton Texas on May 23, 2022, with her beloved husband by her side. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday May 31, 2022, at 2 pm, at Eubank Funeral Home in Canton.

Carol had many roles in her life, her most joyful being a wife, mom and Grammy. She was most proud of her son Josh and grandsons Jonas and Kellen and relished any time she could spend with them, speaking often of their many accomplishments and her love for them. She had just returned from a visit with them near Austin when she suffered complications of blood pressure fluctuations that resulted in her death.

Carol was married to Mike (aka “First Husband”) for 49 years. He was the love of her life, and she, his.

She was smart as a whip, could remember all kinds of random details about her childhood, and the words to every song from the 1960s.

Carol was an actress, author and activist. Passionate about the environment, she contributed to many organizations in support of those goals. Her love of animals led her and Mike to volunteer for many years with the Humane Society of Van Zandt County. The number of dogs they boarded, homed and loved over the years is impossible to count.

One of Carol’s volunteer positions that she loved was working with the Canton Herald as a proofreader and guest columnist. Her warm and funny stories, always referring to Mike as “First Husband” have entertained readers in the county for years and resulted in a book of essays which received rave reviews on Amazon. It’s called Theories and Certainties from Big Ass Cedar Ranch.

Earlier in her life in East Texas, she was the lead actress in several productions for the Van Zandt Community Theater. One memorable role as God catapulted her to fame in the county. She dearly loved her theater friends.

Carol and First Husband have lived in the area for 23 years, having retired early from their careers in the telecom business to a life of peace and quiet in the country. Carol loved sitting on her porch watching the barn swallows, cardinals and all the other wildlife; it brought her peace. She also loved a good thunderstorm, so go figure.

Carol is preceded in death by her parents Arlie and Janis Robinson, and sister Kathy Gillespie. She is survived by her husband Mike Whatley, son Josh Whatley, grandsons Jonas and Kellen Whatley, sister Laurie (Tim) Kline, niece Kristin (Raul) Alonzo, nephews Jonathan Gillespie, Noah Kline, Caden Kline and great niece Lauren Alonzo.

In lieu of flowers please feel free to donate to your local charity in Carol’s honor. As she always said, it’s up to us to take care of those creatures who can’t take care of themselves. That’s how she lived her life, and we couldn’t find a better role model than that.