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Carol Douglas
Visit Guest BookCarol Douglas passed away August 4, 2011 in her Charlotte home, after a nearly three-year battle with multiple myeloma.
Carol was born on May 28, 1943 in Gary, Indiana. Her mother, Helen was an R.N. who pioneered as an industrial nurse. Her father, Marshall, was a laboratory technician for U.S. Steel Corporation in Gary. As a high school student, Carol's first job was shelving books in the City Library - a hint of the life to come, with strong interests in culture, charity, and church, while building a successful career in financial services.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the School of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University-Bloomington, she added a Teaching Certificate while living in New Jersey. She moved to Charlotte in 1966, worked in banking and subsequently made her mark as one of the city's first female financial advisors. She served as a vice-president with Merrill Lynch - helping people manage their resources, taking a lead role in women's business groups, and mentoring young female professionals. Her inquiring mind, critical thinking skills, her ability to communicate and teach served her well.
Carol served terms as president of The Friends of Music at Queens, Women Executives of Charlotte, Charlotte Chapter of Financial Planning Association, Friends of UNCC, and the Charlotte Council on Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency. In addition, she served on the Queens University President's Advisory Board, Mary Baldwin College Advisory Board of Visitors, UNC Charlotte Foundation, the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, and the Peace with Justice Council of Myers Park United Methodist Church.
She was an active member of the Church for 38 years, finding her faith home through the Ownbey Adult Sunday School Class. A believer in higher education, she had a special regard for those who earn degrees after years in the work force. She supported scholarships and initiatives at UNC Charlotte, Queens University of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College, and Mary Baldwin College of Staunton, Virginia. Among other causes to which she gave: Myers park United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church-West, Women's Impact Fund, YWCA, Foundation for the Carolinas, WDAV, and the Catawba Lands Conservancy. For the impact they had on her personally, she supported Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, International Myeloma Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
In late 2008 she retired because of her illness, shifting her focus to philanthropy and family. With ongoing cancer treatments, she enrolled in religion classes at church and computer classes at Shepherd Center. If her illness caused her to wake at 4 AM, she'd turn to C-Span 2 and Book TV. When she and long-time friend Don Hammer didn't need to talk, they'd hold an evening of 'Study Hall' as she called it, devoted to reading together. They had found each other in 1987 through Adult Sunday School.
Before her passing Carol Douglas mused that if someone told her she would leave this world at 68 after contracting multiple myeloma, she would look back on her life and conclude, 'I got a good deal.'
Carol is survived by Dr. Hammer; two sons, Steven Sills of Montgomery, Alabama, and Thomas Sills of Charlotte; two grandchildren, Laurel Ann Sills, 13, and Joel Thomas Sills, 10, both of Matthews; and an older sister, Charlene Mathe of Fullerton, California. She is also survived by Janice Langford Sills, former daughter-in-law with whom she remained very close, and a galaxy of friends who walked with her in good times, and more recently, difficult. She loved exploring life with her grandchildren. Her family learned so much from her and will always be grateful for having Carol in their life.
Her funeral will be Monday, August 8, 2011 at 4PM at Myers Park United Methodist Church. A reception will follow, in the Church's Jubilee Hall.
Memorials can be made to the Pastor's Discretionary Fund at Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte NC 28207; or Catawba Lands Conservancy, 105 W. Morehead Street, Suite B, Charlotte, NC 28202. That non-profit agency preserves land in the state's Southern Piedmont.
Arrangements are in the care of Hankins & Whittington Funeral Service 1111 East Blvd. Charlotte, NC. Please share condolences online at www.hankinsandwhittington.com
Published in Charlotte Observer on August 6, 2011
