After a courageous and honorable battle with lung and brain cancer, Cissy Altman Carroll, 40, peacefully went home to be with Jesus, an eternal paradise that pales in comparison to any trip she ever took and held dear to her heart. Cissy made the transition at Novant Presbyterian Medical Center (Charlotte, North Carolina) on August 14, 2023.
Cissy was born prematurely and faced many obstacles in her life from the very beginning. Born June 19, 1983, in Johnsonville, South Carolina, to Jerry Altman & Bonnie Stone, and proudly raised and “spoiled rotten” by her sweet step-father, Buddy Stone (aka Buddy Ro) of Johnsonville, South Carolina.
Upon graduating from Johnsonville High School, Cissy attended multiple colleges and studied abroad in Costa Rica and Australia…. until Buddy-Ro “cut her off,” and she graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a degree in Resort Tourism Management. It was her goal to return to Costa Rica and start to sell some of that beautiful undeveloped real estate at the time. She instead decided to become a real estate agent in Myrtle Beach while bartending in various parts of the area. Most impactful was her time working at Outback Steakhouse in Carolina Forest, where she made some of the closest relationships that she carried with her throughout her short life. She eventually accepted a position with Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth, Mississippi, as their lead physician recruiter. This is where Cissy met and married the love of her life, Jason Carroll, and they soon moved to Tennessee.
After three short years of marriage and after welcoming their only child Jackson Stone Carroll into the world four months earlier, Cissy was diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC that had metastasized to her brain. She fought hard for almost eight years and outlived 99% of others faced with the same condition. Her motto was always “Take the Trip, Eat the Cake, Buy the Shoes,” and she lived every bit of life to the fullest. She was fearless and refused to let cancer define how she wanted to live. She left no bucket list items unchecked, and upon receiving her prognosis in February 2023 of 3-8 weeks, it was her desire never to be forgotten and for her legacy to live on through the Take the Trip Foundation. She always urged others to “Live life as if you didn’t have an expiration date. Do all the things!”
Cissy is survived by her parents, Jerry (Betty) Altman and Bonnie (Buddy” Stone, “her boys” Jason and Jackson Carroll of Charlotte, NC., sister, Crystal Altman Cook (Joey), and brother, Chad Altman (Angela) of Johnsonville, SC; Jessica Carmichael (sister from another mister) of Florence, SC; mother-in-law Karen Reeves Carroll of Demorest, GA; brother-in-law Josh Carroll (Ashley) and several nieces and nephews whom she loved and was loved by, dearly. She was preceded in death by her sister-in-law, Katie Carroll; father-in-law, Ron Carroll; and grandparents, Foster and Hester Hanna, Franklin and Darlene Altman, & Irby and Harriet Stone.
A celebration of life that she had eight years to advise Jason on how to plan to perfection will be held on August 31, 2023, at Matthews United Methodist Church at 3:00 PM. The church is located at 801 S. Trade Street, Matthews, North Carolina, 28105.
In lieu of flowers, it was Cissy’s greatest wish to have donations made in her memory to “Take The Trip Foundation. Online donations can be made through their website, www.TakeTheTripFoundation.org, or checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 79244, Charlotte, NC 28277
