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Carolyn Sue Kendrick Niven
Chelsea

Carolyn Sue Kendrick Niven, age 82, of Chelsea, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away Monday, June 29.

The visitation will be from 10-11 a.m., Wednesday, July 1 at Liberty Baptist Church. The funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. at the church with Rev. Alan Kuykendall officiating. Burial will follow at K-Springs Cemetery. Bolton Funeral Home is directing.

Carolyn is preceded in death by her parents, Cecil Stanley Kendrick and Mary Rogers Kendrick; husband, John Walter “J.W.” Niven; son, Mark David Niven; brother, Glenn Kendrick; and son-in-law, Donald Edward King.

She is survived by her daughter, Lori Niven King; two sons, Gary Russell Niven (Monica) and Karl Shane Niven; four grandchildren, Cindy King Jarrett (Kevin), Kristen King Zeegers (RJ), Brianna Niven Whitehead (Chris), and Brantley Nathan Niven (fiancée, Katlyn Coley); four great grandchildren, McKenna Jarrett, Dalton Jarrett, Kendall Zeegers, and Randy Zeegers; sister, Judy Kendrick Bailey (Jimmy); sister-in-law, Cricket Kendrick; and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

Carolyn was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother; and she was a determined and dedicated woman. She gladly devoted a great deal of her life to caring for her son, Mark, who was born with Down Syndrome. Many of her years were spent caring for her husband after he developed ischemic lung disease. Additionally, she was a breast cancer survivor.

Known as Grandmother to her grandchildren, Carolyn was an excellent cook who would spoil the grandchildren when they were young by preparing their favorite foods in her arsenal of recipes. Cindy loved Grandmother’s homemade biscuits, banana pudding, meatloaf, and Sloppy Joes. Kristen’s favorites were her Sweet Potato Casserole, homemade biscuits, and cornbread. Brianna adored her homemade biscuits, cornbread, and Shepherd’s Pie. Brantley loved her homemade pound cake, Red Velvet Cake, and mayonnaise sandwiches. She often gladly allowed the grandchildren to “help” in the kitchen when she would prepare their favorite foods for them. Carolyn could have created a successful food empire with her amazing coconut cake and her fried chicken alone.

Carolyn was a devout Christian. She loved the Lord and she always had her Bible and her devotionals on-hand as a source of comfort. Her favorite Bible verse was John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Her favorite hymn was “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”

Taking trips with the senior parishioners from Liberty Baptist Church was one of Carolyn’s favorite activities. She witnessed some of our nation’s tragic history first-hand on Sept. 11, 2001 during one such trip to New York City. Carolyn thoroughly enjoyed these trips and, over the years, she also travelled with the group to a variety of locations including the Canadian Rockies, Savannah Georgia, Nashville, Tennessee, Orlando, Florida, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

If you knew Carolyn, you probably already know that she thoroughly enjoyed a nice, long telephone conversations with a friend or a family member. She also loved gathering around the Christmas tree with her family each year. Few things made her as happy as spending time with her friends, and she also loved going shopping and getting a manicure and pedicure when possible.

Please sign online condolences at Boltonfuneralhome.com.