Carol Jolley Turnipseed, 78, passed away on October 1st, 2023, at the Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, surrounded by her family. A longtime resident of Louisville and the Highpoint community, she passed away after a long struggle with cancer and other health issues.
Carol Louise Jolley was born on June 19, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, to James Dewitt Jolley and Virginia Mae Schaffner Jolley. She attended kindergarten in California, where her family had moved for a very short time. She then attended first grade in Louisville, Mississippi, and second grade in Bridgeport, Alabama, the area where her dad grew up.
Returning to the Pontiac, Michigan, area with her family in 1953, she attended the third through the seventh grades there before the family again made their permanent home back in Louisville. She then attended school in Louisville until she graduated from Louisville High School in 1963.
At LHS, she was a proud member of the “Pride of Louisville” High School Band under the direction of Mr. Bob Cochran, where she played the clarinet and served as a majorette. Also in high school, she was active in the Dramatic Club, Glee Club, 4-H, FHA, and Track, and was chosen as the “Wittiest” student and a member of Who’s Who, both in her senior year. After attending night school where she studied short hand, speed writing, and secretarial studies, in 1965 she joined the Spartus Corp. in Louisville, where she performed clerical duties and ultimately worked in Quality Assurance addressing customer service issues.
In 1968, Carol met the love of her life, Don Martin Turnipseed, who was from Ackerman and worked as a lifeguard at Choctaw Lake ‒ they were married in 1969. That same year she began a new career at Taylor Forge in Ackerman, where she was a secretary and ultimately became responsible for inventory control, payroll, and human resources. After serving as the head of H.R. and personal secretary to the plant manager, Carol left Taylor Forge in 1973 to become the manager of the Title 1Office for the Choctaw County Schools, where she worked for the Department of Education in Ackerman for over four years. In the early 1970’s she became very active in the Louisville Pilot Club, eventually serving as President, and attended a number of state and national meetings. Carol cherished the members of West Union Presbyterian Church and her time there as a children’s Sunday school teacher.
In 1977, she was hired as the start-up Director of Human Resources for the newly established Hamill Manufacturing plant in Louisville (eventually TRW), and worked there alongside her sister, Glenda Jolley McMillin, as a senior manager for over 23 years before her retirement in 2000. She loved her time at Hamill-TRW and cherished her co-workers there. Since then, she has enjoyed her days back in the Highpoint community cooking for her extended family, raising her plants, being with her dogs, and serving her family as a wife, a mother and a grandmother.
Carol was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Don Martin Turnipseed; her son, James Lee Smyth; her parents, James D. and Virginia Jolley; her grandparents, John David Schaffner and Leta Mae Henson Schaffner, James Franklin Jolley and Bertha Mae Henson Jolley; her sister Glenda Jolley McMillin (Jim); and her brother, John Frank Jolley.
She is survived by two beloved children, Criss Martin Turnipseed (Leigh) and Dacia Carol Turnipseed; a beloved sister, Vickki Jolley Carlisle (Billy); and a beloved sister-in-law, Bobbye Turnipseed Taylor. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Marleigh Faith Turnipseed, Jon Martin Turnipseed, Keatan Noel Turnipseed, and Ryan Lee Smyth; seven nephews, Teague Burchfield (Robyn), Shea Taylor (Mandy), Keith Cravens, Mark Cravens (Reva), Michael Cravens, Paul Cravens (Beverly), and Jack Carlisle; and three nieces, Jodie Burchfield, Kimberly Carlisle Coghlan (Craig), and Carol Cravens Swain (Craig). Carol is also survived by many loving great and great-great nieces and nephews as well as many cousins and friends.
The family wishes to acknowledge the many kind expressions of sympathy and prayers. There will be a memorial service for Carol at Porter Funeral Home on Friday, Oct. 20th ‒ visitation from 10 am to 12 noon, with the service there at 12 noon. Friends may remember Carol with a memorial gift to West Union Presbyterian Church (19005 Highway 15 North, Louisville, MS 39339) or to a charity of your choice.
