Carolyn Ann (Wright) Whaley

Carolyn Ann Whaley was born on February 2, 1964, to the late Rosie L. Hoyle and Earnest Williams. She transitioned from this life Thursday, January 19, 2023, while visiting her daughter’s home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A warrior throughout life, she was 58 years old when she was called to be with Lord. She accepted Christ at an early age at St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where she was born and raised.

Carolyn loved helping people and had a long career in the service and healthcare industries. After marrying, she moved to Greensboro, NC, with her husband, Edrick, where she raised two children, William and Jasmine. She had a genuine love for real estate and worked as a real estate agent in Greensboro with Allen & Tate Realtors for over a decade before returning to customer service with CitiBank, where she retired in 2018.

Her hobbies included talking, shopping, searching for seasonal decorations, and being pampered. She was known to change decorations for all holidays--major and minor. Carolyn also enjoyed hosting folks at her home for a meal or celebration, and regularly cooked for her children, godchildren, friends, and family. She was known to bake a particularly delicious sweet potato pie and would make tens of pies for friends and family every holiday season.

After living with Lupus for 25 years, she was dedicated to finding a cure. She enrolled in the nursing program at Greensboro Technical Community College before transferring to North Carolina A&T. She also supported stem cell research, believing that it could lead to an eventual cure for Lupus, and often took the time to donate or respond to patient surveys related to this cause.

Although she was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia in her final years, that never dampened her zeal for life. If anything--her passion for travel was reignited, and she often spoke of traveling between North Carolina, Tennessee, and around the country. Memorable trips included spending Christmas in Las Vegas, tailgating at a Kansas City Chiefs game, and seeing her daughter graduate from school in Berlin, Germany.

She is preceded in death by her siblings J.P. Hoyle Jr., Stanley Hoyle, Frederick Wright, Donna Dixon, and Ricky Wright.

She is survived by many loving individuals, including her children William Lewis and Jasmine Whaley, her ex-husband Edrick Whaley; and siblings Melvin Hoyle (Marcey), Sandra McClora (James), Janice Wright, and Cheryl Hoyle; and a host of nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews and other relatives; and her best friend, Janel King and godchildren Matthew King and Gabrielle King.

In Greensboro, a celebration of life service will be held Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Serenity Funeral Home, 1024 Homeland Avenue. 

A second celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 12 p.m. at St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church at 2016 Pendelton Street, Memphis, TN. 

Please visit Carolyn’s Memorial Website to offer condolences and share memories, find service information, post pictures + videos, give a donation, or send flower arrangements.

Serenity Funeral Home & Cremations “Home of Lasting Memories”

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carolyn Ann (Wright) Whaley, please visit our floral store.