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Obituary for Carole Ruth Thornton
Carol Ruth Rainey Thornton, 81, died March 31, 2019 at The Arbor. A Requiem Eucharist will be celebrated at 2:00 PM Saturday, May 4, 2019 at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall.
Carol was born on January 6, 1938, in Memphis, the daughter of the late Andrew and Ruth Rainey. Moving to Gulfport at the age of 10, she graduated from Gulfport High School. She continued her education earning her degree in social work. After graduation, she returned to Memphis prior to accepting a job as a social worker at the Gulfport Public School System. In 1964, Carol married husband Stanley and they moved to Texas. Carol worked as a social worker for the Texas State Welfare Department in Austin, TX. After 5 years in Texas, the Thornton family moved back to Gulfport to assist and operate the Rainey family business. After briefly moving back to Texas in the early 1980’s, they moved back to Mississippi, where Carol became the Director of Foster Care for the Methodist Children’s Home. While working for the Methodist Home, she was active in fundraising for the Home. After retiring in 2000, Carol trained the State of Mississippi Foster Parents and developed a training program. Carol’s entire career was spent mentoring and assisting Children. Carol was a communicant of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church and a former member of The Episcopal Church of the Creator in Clinton. Along with her parents, she is preceded in death by daughter, Leslie Thornton and brother, Ben Rainey. Survivors include her husband, Stanley L. Thornton, Jr. of Ridgeland; sister, Linda Carter (Ronald) of Spanish Fort, AL; sister-in-law, Elaine Rainey of Marietta, GA; nephews, Tyler Rainey (Amanda) of Marietta, GA; Timothy Rainey (Marina) of Marietta, GA; Kevin Rainey (Heather) of Andover, KS; Jeffery Carter (Angie) of Maryville, TN; niece, Mandy Hicks of Mobile and 11 great nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, 39105.
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