Carolyn's life journey ended on March 2, 2026 at Transitions Lifecare in Raleigh, NC. It was a life well lived.

The Beginning
Carolyn was born the fifth and last child of Clifton, Jr. and Minnie Willis Wise in Gibson, Monroe County, Mississippi. Her mother became ill shortly after her birth and sadly passed away on Christmas Eve of 1940, leaving five children with their father and paternal grandparents. When Carolyn was three years old, her father remarried and moved to Miami, Florida, leaving his five children in the loving care of his parents, Rev. C.W. and Ella Wise. Carolyn and three siblings were raised by their grandparents until adulthood. Tragically, her brother John met an untimely death in 1955 at the age of 17.

The Middle
In December 1948, her grandfather accepted the call to pastor Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Tupelo, MS, where the family became members. School teachers filled the neighborhood and the church, and she thrived surrounded by adults who nurtured young minds. After graduating high school in 1959, Carolyn entered Tougaloo College, where she pledged Zeta Phi Beta sorority and later became a founding member of the Mu Mu Zeta Chapter in Tupelo. She graduated in three years, performing as a contralto soloist in Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Third Mass, and Mozart's Requiem Mass.

After teaching in Charleston, MS and West Palm Beach, FL, she returned home in 1966. She married John H. Long, Jr. in 1968 and taught until retirement in 1994. Their union brought two children: Sanford and Minnie. She loved nature, boating, fishing, traveling, and above all — her family.

The End of Her Earthly Journey
Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband John H. Long, Jr., parents, grandparents, and siblings: Loretta Brinkley, Ella Wilkins, John Wise, Charles Wise, and stepchildren John H. Long III and Romanita Smith.

She leaves to cherish her memory: Sanford Long (Chenda) of Raleigh, NC, grandchildren Lynkoln and Darien; Minnie Gilmore (Edwin Bernard) of Vancleave, MS, grandson Gavin; one step-daughter, step-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law Luvenia Payton and Bernice Long.

"She knew God, and He is good all the time. Know that it is smooth sailing for her from
this point on."