Born in Asheville, NC on January 17, 1941 to the late Henry Palmer Park and Virginia Ingle Park. Carol grew up in West Asheville and attended Calvary Baptist Church with her parents and grandparents. When she was in high school, the family moved to Charlotte, NC, where she participated in the St. John Baptist Church youth choirs. Carol attended Central High School in Charlotte, then enrolled at Meredith College and graduated in 1962 with a degree in Sociology. She was president of the Philaretian Society, and as a senior, was named ‘Wittiest’ by her classmates.
While attending Meredith, Carol met her husband, Robert (Bob) Giles Barksdale of Raleigh, and they married in 1962. After graduation, she worked for the state of North Carolina as a social security disability determination specialist. In 1967, she retired to become a homemaker and mother. Carol and Bob were enthusiastic volunteers and chaperones for their daughters’ performances, fundraisers, and sporting events, and are thus remembered fondly by many of those daughters’ classmates.
Carol was a dedicated member of the Hayes Barton Baptist Church choir, where she sang alto for over 60 years. During her choir tenure, she was part of a madrigal singers group which performed in traditional costume in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In addition, she was a founding member of ‘Sugar and Spice,’ a ladies singing group that performed in many churches, nursing homes, and at other special events. They were even invited to sing in Nashville (North Carolina). Carol’s friends and family were continually amazed by her memory for song lyrics – she seemingly knew the words to any song, including and especially every hymn in the Baptist hymnal.
Carol was a multi-talented crafter specializing in angel Christmas ornaments. Many Raleigh citizens collected these during her annual craft shows, and several of her friends maintained separate Christmas trees to hold all of Carol’s ornaments. Carol participated in many of the missions opportunities offered by Hayes Barton Baptist. She led a craft group to create angels which were sold to raise money for the annual Christmas mission offering, and also led a prayer shawl knitting ministry. She went on 18 mission trips to Helena, Arkansas. She spent many volunteer hours at the Urban Ministries food pantry and delivering Meals on Wheels.
Carol is survived by her husband of 63 years, Bob Barksdale; daughters Kristi Barksdale of Atlanta and Erin (Dedric) Terry of Taylorsville, KY; grandchildren Aidan Terry of Waxahachie, TX; Brenna Terry of Crittenden, KY; brother Jerry Park (Julia) of Nashville, TN; sister Judy Molleur (Bob) of Athens, GA; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She is preceded in death by her parents and son-in-law Chris McGowen.
A memorial service is planned for 2pm on September 11, 2026 at Hayes Barton Baptist Church. Reception to follow in the fellowship hall. The service will be Live Streamed at “hbbc.org/memorialservices”
Carol’s family expresses gratitude to the staff of Transitions LifeCare of Raleigh. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Music Fund of Hayes Barton Baptist Church, 1800 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC 27608 (hbbc.org/give).