Carol Whetstone Belcher

Carol Whetstone Belcher departed this life on April 22, 2017, at the age of 74 with her family's love and pride for her determination. She fought a good fight.

Carol is survived by her beloved husband and best friend of 51 years, Samuel D. Belcher, formerly of Pensacola and Panama City, Florida, and now residing in Atlanta. She also is survived by her absolute pride and joy, grandson Zachary Sitterle; and her daughter and son-in-law, Valerie Belcher Sitterle and Jeffrey Sitterle, all of Atlanta, Georgia.

Carol was the daughter of the late Perry Whetstone and Ruth Hughes Whetstone of St. Mary's, Georgia. She also was the granddaughter of the late Mrs. Bela Victor Hughes of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a vital force in Carol's life who helped raise her and remained always a guiding influence. Carol attended Auburn University, where she completed her degree in microbiology and met her husband, Sam. She proceeded to become an extraordinary microbiologist and a wonderfully supportive mother. Carol worked for many years at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, before moving to Bay Medical Center in Panama City, Florida, where she retired as head of microbiology to care for her mother.

Carol had a great sense of adventure, always seeking the path less traveled if only to see what was just around the corner, and loved to laugh. Coupled with her love and talent for genealogy, this resulted in several quite exciting escapades in search of old family cemeteries in the Alabama woods that became favorite family stories - if only because we did, eventually, find our way back. Carol had a legendary flair for anything green. Often to her own amazement, Carol could "grow a jungle from a teapot." She always was "that neighbor" to whom all the others brought any wounded bird or squirrel that had fallen out of its nest for skilled and loving care. She also was a talented artist, though she painted only privately, and her depictions of nature will continue to look down on her family as warm reminders of her life.

Carol also is survived by the extended Belcher family: Wallace and Kathi Belcher of Brent, Alabama; Chip and Ann Belcher Landon of Orlando, Florida; Henry and Louise Belcher Joe of Birmingham, Alabama; and her nieces and nephews and their families. She also is survived by the family of her cousin, Dan Hughes, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Sam, Valerie, Jeff, and Zach are immensely grateful for the love and support of the Belcher family, extended Sitterle family in Pittsburgh, and Scivley family in Birmingham. They also wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staffs at Woodland Ridge and Homestead Hospice for their able, compassionate, and personalized care of Carol during her residence there.

We warmly thank St. Wilfrid's Episcopal Church in Marion, Alabama, for opening their arms to help us celebrate and remember her life. Carol's service will be held at 11 a.m. May 27, 2017, at St. Wilfrid's.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made in Carol's name to: The Woodland Ridge Foundation, 4005 South Cobb Drive, Smyrna, GA 30080; or Homestead HOPE Foundation, 10888 Crabapple Road, Roswell, GA 30075.

"Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." ~ Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince

(Here is my secret. It is very simple: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.)