Frances Carolyn Seay

Frances Carolyn Seay, 86, of Rector died March 5, 2026, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro.

Carolyn was born June 30, 1939, in Holcomb, Mo. She graduated from Holcomb High School in 1957 and moved to Rector in 1964 when she and Reuben Seay were married.

Over the years Carolyn was a homemaker and also worked as a bank teller in Kennett, Mo. She served for 40 years as church custodian at Rector First Baptist Church. She was a member of Rector FBC all of her adult life and was active in many roles, including church hostess, Sunday School teacher, choir member, WMU member, and children's choir leader.

Carolyn's greatest joy was being with her family. She loved being with her children and grandchildren. She welcomed her children's friends into her home and treated them like her own. She was such a devoted "band grandparent," several of her grandchildren's friends also called her "Grandmother." She enjoyed spending time with her church family and neighbors, who were like family to her. She enjoyed reading, music, doing crossword puzzles, and playing dominoes with friends. She was well-known for her baking skills; everyone loved her millionaire candy, apricot fried pies, and chocolate rolls. She was probably best known for her pies – chocolate, coconut, strawberry, and many more.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Reuben Seay; her parents, Willis and Ruth Rollins; and her brothers, Willis James Rollins Jr., Paul Rollins, and Jimmy Ray Rollins. She is survived by her children, Ellen Seay Meadows of Piggott and John and Angela Seay of Huntington; an "adopted daughter," Joan Mason Jeffery of Brookland; her grandchildren and their spouses, Nathan and Bertha Seay, Morgan and Chris Vermillion, and Aaron and Bri Meadows; three great-grandchildren, Aiden Seay, Luke Seay, and Alice Seay; three step-grandchildren, Lance Fry, Matthew Fry, and Ashley Fry, and their families; her brother and his wife, Terry and Mary Rollins; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Her grandsons and nephews will serve as pallbearers. Visitation will be Saturday, March 7, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Rector First Baptist Church with Irby-Mitchell Funeral Home in charge of arrangements. The funeral service will be Sunday, March 8, at 1:00 p.m. at the church with the Rev. David Richey and the Rev. Laramie LeQuieu officiating. Burial will follow at Woodland Heights Cemetery.

Family has asked that memorials be made to the Rector Public Library.