Carolyn Sue Whitley-Yurk was born on October 7, 1948 by her parents Rosa Mary Whitley and Freddie Russell Douglas, Sr. She passed away peacefully in her sleep at 8:25 AM at home surrounded by her loved ones.
Carolyn loved her family with all her heart. Her drive to make a better life for her two girls made her even more determined to strive for success. She enjoyed wearing many hats, but nothing brought her greater joy than being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Carolyn was an easy person to be around and had a lovely sense of humor. She enjoyed talking to her friends on the phone and would chat with them as well as pray and praise God. She could be heard in the house praying aloud for her family and friends and thanking God every step of the way. Carolyn was a friend and confidant to many. She shared that she made mistakes in life, but early in adulthood she realized that striving to please God would ensure she would have all that she ever needed. Carolyn walked that walk to the best of her ability. She was adored by because she was a lady with grace, wisdom, and a spirit of kindness every day. Many, in addition to Carla and Rosa, called her “Mama”, “Mama 2” or “Mother”.
In 1966, she married George Wilkerson Jr., and their union produced their daughters, Carla Suzette and Rosa Nanette. In her later years, she married Brady Smith and Richard J. Yurk. While those relationships were not permanent, they remained friends.
Carolyn graduated from Jonesville Consolidated High School in 1966 and then received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan-Flint in 1989. She graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI in 1991.
In September 1976, Carolyn began working at General Motors, both at the “Truck & Bus and Plant 6” operations in Flint, MI. During this time she also embarked on a teaching career at Westwood Heights Elementary in Flint Township, MI., working two fulltime jobs from 1990-1998. Many would wonder how she managed to give her all to both jobs, but Carolyn’s love of education and her students fueled her drive and determination. She retired from General Motors in February 1998 with 23 years of service.
Carolyn served and worshiped the Lord, our God, Jesus Christ. She believed from an early age and grew stronger in her faith and ministry. She was baptized at Moss Grove Baptist Church, in Jonesville, LA. Carolyn began teaching Sunday school at the age of ten and was a member of the Little River Baptist Association. While living in Flint, MI, since 1971, First Union Missionary Baptist Church was her church home. During the late eighties and early nineties, she was a secretary and taught at the National Baptist Convention. She returned to Louisiana in 2004 to help care for her family and worshiped at Trout Creek Baptist Church in Jena.
Carolyn spoke at many Women’s Day events in Michigan and in Louisiana. She was called the “preach for the Word of God” and was ordained July 2, 2017, at Hall Grove Baptist Church in Monterey, LA. She held dual membership until her death at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Bloomington, IL., and Moss Grove Baptist Church, in Jonesville, LA.
She held memberships in several key organizations including the United Auto Workers Local 659, the National Education Association, Order of the Eastern Star, the National Baptist Convention and the National Urban League. In 2022, she founded and presided over The Pearls of Pure Light and Moss Grove Missionary Baptist Church, a women’s ministry focused on building community amongst liked-minded Christian women.
Carolyn was preceded in death to eternal life by her grandparents: Carrie Bell Barber and Dage Whitley; her mother, Rosa Mary (Willie) Whitley- Davis; stepfather, Willie Davis; father, Freddie Russell Douglas, Sr; sister, Linda (Whitley) Hamilton; brothers, Bobby Joe Whitley, Dennis Douglas, and Russell Douglas; uncles, Willie 'Buddy' Barber and former son-in-love, Lonnie Darnell Mayes.
She leaves to cherish loving memories: daughters, Carla Suzette (Wilkerson) Mayes of Bloomington, IL and Rosa Nanette (Wilkerson) George of Jonesville, LA; grandchildren, Justin Lee Jacob Davis of Dallas, TX, Ashley Carlotta Hobbs of Lansing, MI, Lonnie Hatten Mayes of Bloomington, IL, Caleb Nathaniel Mayes of Bloomington, IL; great-grandchildren Ja’Kayla Booker of Lansing, MI, King D. Colbert- Hobbs of Lansing, MI, Rosie Wilson of Lansing, MI, Darren Wilson of Lansing, MI, Janea Peete of Lansing, MI, Justis Davis, and Jerzy Breen of Dallas, TX; sister-in-law Creola (Dennis) Douglas of St. Landry, LA; nephews: William Hamilton Jr. of Grand Blanc, MI and Raymond Bowman of Alexandria, LA; nieces Emma Newhouse of Jena, LA, Satoria (Newhouse) Jackson of Baltimore Maryland, Sylvia (Douglas) Carroll of Los Angeles, CA and a host of other relatives.
Special friends and family include: Gloria Stephenson (Goddaughter), Alice Lorraine of Moss Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor David Wayne Brown of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Rev. Sandra Barber, Clara (Pokey) Smith, Lorraine Swift, Catherine Byrd, Betty Cain, Shirley Washington, Dallas Fagan, Cora McClendon, Lynda Whitley, Mary Hopkins, Maria Foster, Elnora Brown, Alonzo Proctor, Elisha Fagan, Harvey Freeman, Liz Barquet, Connie Graham, Norma Jean Dunbar, Jimmie Roy, Ruth Spillers, Lolacile Cage Mercy, Bobby Rogers, Nancy Kimble, Mae Chapman, Suzie Smeeton, and Brenda Woods.