- Date Of Birth: October 27, 1938
- Date Of Death: March 2, 2013
- State: Texas
Carole Elizabeth Harrell was born in Polkville, Mississippi on October 27, 1938 to Willie Wiles McPherson and Minnie Pauline Stanley McPherson. Carole lost her battle with cancer on March 2, 2013 at age 74. She is survived by five children: Angela (Taylor), Jana (Sumner), Allen, Wendy (Powell) and Clint, as well as ten grandchildren: Spencer, Travis, Adam, Emily, Mason, Daylen, Alexis, Ramsey, Andrew and Aiden. Her great-grandchildren are: Aubrey, Avery, Jackson and Everett.
Carole graduated from Attapulgus High School in 1956 and attended Norman College in Colquitt County, Georgia. She married Allen Albert Harrell on August 24, 1957. She was an active member of Park Central Baptist Church. Her church roles included: musician, choir member, and director of children’s plays. Carole also taught First Grade Sunday School classes for over fifty years.
She was a successful playwright and director. She authored 7 original plays and adapted “In His Steps” for the stage. Her plays were performed in Texas and Georgia. She was the Executive Director of Morningstar Theater Foundation and an advocate for the mentally ill through the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill. Among its many accomplishments, Morningstar Theater Foundation was responsible for the construction of a group home for mentally ill women in Dallas, Texas.
NAMI Dallas presented Carole with two awards. The first was the Nancy Webber Award for Enduring Spirit and Volunteerism in 2006. The second award was a special recognition award for Morningstar Theater Foundation. She received this award in 2012.
Carole was a daughter, spouse, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, leader, motivator of people, and good friend.
Carole Elizabeth McPherson Harrell was our mother but she was so much more. The jobs of motherhood are vast and the joys of a sweet and tender marriage are without measure. Our Mother was an advocate for many and a visionary for our future. She was a motivator and leader. God blessed her with many talents and she used these great blessings to help others. Her gift with words entertained us all and gave us a purpose we did not recognize as our own.
the Well Community
125 Sunset Avenue
Dallas , Texas 75208
Friday, March 8th, 2013, 2:00pm, Park Central Baptist Church
