Jesse J. Carroll Jr.

Jesse Joseph Carroll Jr. ( “Sonny” to many friends and family members and “Bepaw” to beloved grandchildren ), 85, of Arab, passed away on September 20, 2013 at Marshall Medical Center South from heart failure. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, 2012 at Gober’s Funeral Home in Arab. Rev. Mike Pope, Jesse’s son-in-law, of Gardendale Mount Vernon United Methodist Church in Gardendale will be officiating. The family will receive friends from 12:00 – 1:00 on Tuesday before the memorial service. Interment will be at a later time by family at Creswell Cemetary in Eastaboga. Jesse was born in Anniston, Alabama on November 24, 1927. He was of the Baptist faith and graduated from Calhoun County High School ( Oxford ) in 1948 and then joined the Navy. Duty stations and campaigns during his twenty year Naval career included: California, Philippines, Korea, Washington DC, Saudi Arabia, Anawetok Atol ( atomic tests 1958 ), South Carolina, Ft. McClellan, AL, USS Richard B. Anderson ( DD 786); earned Vietnam Service Medal ( 1966 ). After twenty years, Jesse retired from the Navy and began working at Redstone Arsenal as a computer operator. After finishing coursework at Drake State Technical School in Computer Programming, he went on to earn an Associate’s Degree from Snead State and finished his third year of college at Montevallo. After working midnight shift at Redstone Arsenal for eleven years he resigned and went to work for Military Sealift Command where he was quickly promoted to Junior Purser and served on several ships supplying oil and supplies to US Navy ships in Europe, the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. After two years of being gone from home, he returned to Arab and worked at Eaton Corp in Arab for twelve years as a security guard and finally retired to enjoy being “Bepaw”, working in his shop and yard, visiting friends and relatives and taking care of whatever creature might happen to show up and need a home. He will be remembered by many for his wit, wisdom and generous love for family, friends, country and all creatures great and small ( especially his dogs Bud and Black). Jesse is survived by former wife, Mary (Miller) Carroll; daughter, Susan Pope ( Mike) ; sons, Kenneth Carroll, Jesse Carroll III, and Gene Carroll; sisters, Shirley Cambron ( Bill) and Violet Griffin ( Bill ), and brother James Carroll ( Shirley); five granddaughters and three grandsons; five great grandchildren, a host of nieces and nephews, and other family and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Jesse J. and Mana ( Laney) Carroll; son, Michael Carroll; sister, Geraldine (Carroll ) Kidd; and brothers, Auby, Ralph, and Billy Carroll. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to : Alabama Sheriff Youth Ranches ( P.O. Box 240009, Montgomery, AL 36124 or go to: www.sheriffsranch.org/donate) or Disabled American Veterans ( P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45290-0301 or go to www.dav.org . The family wishes to thank Crossville Health and Rehab for the excellent job they did in getting daddy better to go home after surgery last year. We also want to thank Marshall Medical Center South staff and DeKalb Regional Medical Center staff for their compassion, kindness, and care during his illness over the last few months.

Jesse J. Carroll Jr.

November 24, 1927 - September 20, 2013