Carol R Lumpkin

Carol Ray Lumpkin, age 102 years and 7 months, passed from this life on April 2, 2025, in Watauga, Texas. He was born on August 31, 1922, in the rural community of Watkins Corner (Phillips County), Arkansas, to Emmett and Mamie Lumpkin. Carol was the second of seven children and was preceded in death by his siblings Fred, Janette, Walter Curtis, Marvin, and Jesse Demps (JD). He is survived by his sibling, Lynn. Carol grew up with his large family on a small farm in rural Phillips County, Arkansas.

As a child of the Great Depression, Carol remembered the joy of receiving a piece of fruit along with a penny candy for Christmas. Hunting and fishing were welcome and rewarding outings from chopping and picking cotton and completing other farm chores. A highlight of his high school years was playing baseball and basketball for Marvell High School, from which he graduated in 1941. At the time, it was uncommon for boys from farming families to graduate from high school, but Carol did so—along with his sister—at his mother's insistence.

After high school, Carol volunteered for military service in the Army Air Corps. While stationed at Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas, he met Janice Ward at a small church of Christ congregation. The two married on August 18, 1945. After his wartime service, the couple moved to Vernon, Texas, and welcomed their first child, Phillip, in 1946. The family of three then moved to rural Arkansas, where Carol had been raised, and where two daughters, Vernell and Angela, were born. Carol supported his family by operating a small community grocery store.

Encouraged strongly by his wife, Carol took advantage of the G.I. Bill, graduated from Harding College, and began preaching part-time. Upon graduation, Carol and his young family moved to Sylvan Hills, Arkansas, where he began preaching full-time. He and Janice prioritized their love for the Lord throughout their lives, sharing their faith with generations to come.

Carol served the Lord by preaching in small Arkansas towns, including Cash, Glenwood, Weiner, Marvell, Newport, Marked Tree, Jacksonville, and Searcy, as well as in Paducah, Kentucky. For many years, he supplemented his ministry by driving a school bus and working part-time in grocery stores to help fund his children's college education. His family also benefited from his diligent efforts in cultivating large vegetable gardens.

Though preachers in small churches were not well paid, Carol and his family prospered by living within their means and paying as they went. Thankfully, God blessed them with good health. Carol was preceded in death by Janice, his lifelong partner and wife of 78 years. He is survived by three children: Phillip (Pat), Vernell (Larry), and Angela; five grandchildren: Heather, Melissa, Aaron, Amanda, and Nathan; and nine great-grandchildren, who lovingly knew him as "Big Daddy."