Carol Elizabeth Hawthorne was born the 12 ^th day of October, 1943 in Gulfport, Mississippi to the late Ethel and Mable Brown Hawthorne. She obtained her spiritual beginnings at Mercy Seat Baptist Church and later united with Morning Star Baptist Church in Gulfport.

Carol graduated from Thirty-Third Avenue High School in 1961. In addition, she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Jackson State University in 1965. She loved molding the mind of young children into well-educated adults.  Carol began her teaching career at George Washington Carver Elementary School in Picayune, Mississippi. After a few years, she moved back home to teach at East Ward Elementary in Gulfport. In 1972, after vacationing to the Caribbean Islands, she decided to venture out and moved to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. She taught at E. Benjamin Oliver Elementary until her retirement in 1995. While there, she afforded the opportunity for many of her family and friends to vacation to her home.

Carol returned home to Gulfport after she retired to help take care of her mother. The two of them spent countless hours enjoying their favorite hobbies: fishing and traveling. If you truly knew Carol, you knew that she could not pass a body of water without talking about how many fish she thought were in there.  She absolutely loved fishing! She also was an avid basketball fan and loved the Lakers.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Marvin Hawthorne; nephew, Roderic Dunlap; and great nephew, Hubert "Deuce" McLeod Jackson, II. Her memory will be forever etched in the hearts of her two brothers: Gerald Hawthorne and Richard Weir; one sister, Gwendolyn (Leon) Dunlap; three nephews: Keith (Genevieve) Dunlap, Eric Montgomery, and Marcus Mann; four nieces: Gretchen (Wesley) Connor, Karyn (Hubert) Jackson, Tamika Weir, and Erica Montgomery. Carol is also survived by many loving and devoted great nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.

As a courtesy, the family of Ms. Hawthorne has provided virtual (Zoom) attendance:

https://go.skimresources.com/?id=98953X1583232&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Fj%2F88497231273%3Fpwd%3DTmFQM1o3cDBMMFNPSVZ3RlkxaUFMdz09&sref=http://paperlesspost.com/go/PKp1nWatPBJpGDiJANL7