Carolyn McGraw

Carolyn McGraw passed away on Monday, February 17, 2025, at Peachtree Village in Brandon, Mississippi.

Visitation will be at Ott & Lee Funeral Home in Brandon on Friday, February 21, 2025, from 9:00 to 10:00 am with a funeral service immediately following in the chapel at 10:00 am. She will be laid to rest at Lakewood Memorial Park in Jackson following the service.

Mrs. McGraw was born August 31, 1950, in Vicksburg, Mississippi to Marshall J. Whatley and Wilma Pierce Whatley. She married James Glenn McGraw on March 17, 1975, in Warren County and together they shared almost fifty years of marriage. She enjoyed painting and reading, and she and her husband were members of Eden Baptist Church.

She graduated from Mississippi College with a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling, and she also served on the Shell Road Volunteer Fire Department as a fire fighter and EMT. She had a heart for serving others, and used a combination of her skills in therapy and emergency services to develop the first critical incident stress debriefing team in Rankin County to help first responders recover from traumatic calls. She will be remembered as a caring and compassionate member of the community.

Mrs. McGraw is survived by her husband, James Glenn “Mac” McGraw; two sons, Ken McBroom (Christie) and James McGraw; five grandchildren, Amber Rhodes, Peyton McBroom, Kaley McGraw, Mason McGraw, and Wyatt McGraw; one great granddaughter, Stella Rhodes; and siblings, Curtis Whatley and Rose Whatley.