April 11, 2023, 81, Mount Olive –
Norma Carole McDonald, 81, passed away peacefully in her home in the early morning hours on April 11, 2023. She was surrounded by family and caretakers.
Born on July 18, 1941, Norma Carole lived her entire life in Mount Olive where she was very active in her community. She attended Mount Olive High School, Peace College, the University of North Carolina, and East Carolina University. She earned two master’s degrees in education and administration.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Clayton and Norma Rae Summerlin, and her husband of 61 years, Ray McDonald Sr.
She is survived by her brother Daniel Clayton (DC) Summerlin Jr. and his wife Suzi of Roanoke VA, sons Ray McDonald Jr. and wife Maria of Mount Olive and Michael McDonald and wife Dawn of Goldsboro.; grandchildren, Will McDonald of Goldsboro, Mollie Catherine Moser and husband Ellis of Raleigh, and Lee McDonald of Wilmington.
Norma Carole was a fixture in the education community in Wayne and Duplin Counties, where she earned the Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year Awards. She taught for a brief period at Brogden Elementary, eventually becoming a long-time seventh-grade math teacher at Mount Olive Jr. High. While there, she also served as Beta Club Advisor for many years where she coordinated the much-anticipated annual Beta Club trips. In the late 80s, she transitioned to administration and was an assistant principal at Chinquapin Elementary and Charity Middle Schools in Duplin County. She finished her educational career as the principal at North Duplin Elementary where she was lovingly referred to as “Coach.” Many of her former students expressed her care and dedication to them with one stating, “She believed in me as a young child and her love and nurture followed me into adulthood.”
If there was a club or organization in Mount Olive, one could always find her involved and active. She enjoyed social involvement and charitable work with many causes, but she was best known for her longtime volunteer work and fundraising with Kitty Askins Hospice Center. She was a lifelong member of First United Methodist Church in Mount Olive and a long-time affiliate of Emma Anderson Memorial Chapel in Topsail Beach. Norma Carole enjoyed
fellowship with her friends from Mount Olive, Wayne, and Duplin counties, and from Topsail Beach. She was always active and healthy until her disease (MSA) robbed her body of strength and eventually she succumbed to this terrible disease.
Norma Carole will be deeply missed by her family and friends.
The family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to these caretakers for Ray and Norma Carole: Andy Hall, Christy Crawford, Brenda Scott, Anselma Cisneros, and Angie Sides. Norma Carole loved each one of them and they treated her like family.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to
First United Methodist Church of Mount Olive
PO Box 420
Mount Olive NC 28365
Norma Carole’s life will be celebrated in a worship service to be held Saturday, April 15, at 10:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church, followed by burial in Maplewood Cemetery. Immediately following the committal rites at the cemetery, there will be a luncheon in honor of Norma Carole’s life to be held at the church to which all are invited to enjoy and fellowship with her family and friends.
A Tyndall Service
