Carolyn Ann Riggin McCrary
Carolyn Ann Riggin McCrary, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, of Hixson, Tennessee, passed away on February 17, 2024, with her family by her side after a long and progressive illness.
Carolyn was born on January 3, 1937, in Little Rock, Ar., to the late James C. “Pete" Riggin and Alice Belle Wise Riggin. She was of the Baptist faith.
Carolyn was a beautiful and loving person. She never met a stranger, always greeting everyone with kindness and striking up a conversation. She cherished all of her friends and kept them close to her heart. She loved her family's history and very much enjoyed going to her family reunions where she was full of memories to share and was considered the family storyteller. Quick with wit and the gift of gab she usually left everyone laughing in tears. She was deeply loved by all of her family and friends and will be greatly missed by all.
Carolyn was a graduate of Little Rock Central High School. She later attended college at Chattanooga State, where she completed her studies with a perfect 4.0 grade average.
Carolyn and Price were married on Nov. 18, 1961. Both dedicated and loving to each other, they celebrated almost 54 years together before his death in 2015.
She was a wonderful mother and grandmother and spent as much time with her children and grandchildren as she could. Over the last few years she and her daughter Nancy became almost inseparable, spending many hours together laughing, watching TV, doing activities, planning whatever was “next” and just being together. She was very excited for visits from her son, Jim, and wife Becky, who lived in Birmingham. She loved it when he quizzed her about sports, family, and old movies, and she and Becky had the most wonderful talks about times past. Visits with her grandchildren were always very special to her and she would stop anything she was doing to spend time with them and share what was going on in their lives. She even learned to FaceTime a little bit with her great-grandchildren and loved hearing their laughter and stories.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Price L. McCrary, her father, James C. Riggin, her mother, Alice Belle Riggin, her daughter, Alicia Katherine McCrary, and her grandson, Guy Thomas Sparks (Carrie).
She is survived by her daughter, Nancy Ann McCrary, her son, James Price McCrary (Becky), grandson, James Robert Sparks, grandson, Jeffrey Allen Jones, granddaughter, Charlotte Elizabeth McCrary, great-granddaughter, Bianca Isabelle Sparks, and great-grandson, Guy Daniel Emmett Sparks.
Interment will be at Pine Crest Memorial Park in Bryant, Ar., alongside her husband, Price and daughter, Alicia.
A memorial service will be held in May in Bryant.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the charity most close to her heart, Pet Placement Center, 5975 Dayton Blvd., Chattanooga, Tn. 37415.
Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory, and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, TN 37343.
Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com.