November 18, 1940 – December 24, 2016
Carol Clark Caldwell of Rock Hill died December 24, 2016 at Westminster Health and Rehabilitation Center following a long illness. She was born on November 18, 1940 in Philippi, West Virginia and later moved with her aunt and uncle, Beatrice and Morgan Boyles, to Williston, South Carolina. Graduated from Williston-Elko High School in 1958, Carol received an academic scholarship to attend Coker University. Her scholarship was acquired through assistance from Lenna Riley, a music teacher at Williston-Elko High and a Coker graduate. Carol was a talented singer, a soprano, and was a member of “The Blendettes”, a trio consisting of Carol Clark Caldwell, Shirley Boyles Flynn and Sue Scruggs Kight performing throughout the Williston area at various functions, even appearing on television out of Augusta, GA on a few occasions. She also sang in her church choir at Williston First Baptist Church and later in Rock Hill as a member of the First ARP Church. Carol married James B. Caldwell, Jr., in 1960, and delayed her education temporarily to begin raising her family. She attended courses at the University and later at Winthrop University while rearing two children. Carol finished her BS degree at Winthrop in 1967 and then completed her Master of Arts in Teaching at Winthrop in 1972. She was a Language Arts teacher and spent the bulk of her career at Rawlinson Road Middle School. Carol retired in 1998 with 30 years’ service. One of her greatest joys was learning of the academic and career successes in her former students. Carol was active in the Junior Women’s Welfare League in Rock Hill for several years. Involved in numerous projects while in the League, she once appeared in their Follies production singing “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree”. Carol was a great lover of animals, especially dogs, and owned several over the years. She was an avid reader and solver of the newspaper crossword puzzles, whether with the help of the dictionary or not. Having attended USC for a few semesters, she was partial to the Gamecocks and was a good sport in that she endured a household full of screaming Carolina fans during football season. Carol was predeceased by her eldest son, James B. Caldwell, III; she is survived by her other son, J. Clark Caldwell of Rock Hill and by a sister, Patricia Delapass of Fairmont, West Virginia. She also is survived by numerous nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life service will be held eleven-thirty a.m., Monday, January 2, 2017 at the Williston Presbyterian Church with Dr. Beth Yarborough officiating. The family will receive friends in the church social hall immediately following the service on Monday. The family has requested that memorials be given in Carol’s memory to a charity of one’s choice.