Carol June Strickland, Ph. D., RN

November 6, 1955 – October 22, 2022

Carol June Strickland, Ph.D., R.N., 66, of Swainsboro, Georgia, died at the East Georgia Regional Medical Center of Statesboro, Georgia, on October 22, 2022 after struggling with a severe respiratory illness.

Carol was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1955 to Luther and Miriam Whitaker. Luther was career Air Force. Carol’s childhood was spent in various places around the world including Japan, Africa, Alaska, Mississippi, and New York. She often shared fond memories of these places including swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, and learning Japanese on Okinawa.

Carol graduated from Sodus Central High School in Sodus, NY, and studied at the University of Rochester where she completed her Ph.D. in Psychiatric Nursing. She had a private practice in New York and taught in the nursing and graduate (FNP) programs for the University of Rochester and Georgia Southern University for decades. She also served as Director of Nursing Research at Georgia Southern University. Her interest and clinical experiences were in the areas of psychiatric mental health nursing and psychoneuroimmunology. She has published numerous articles in the area of psychiatric mental health nursing practice, psychoneuroimmunology, and sociology. She was also co-author, with her husband, of two college success textbooks, College Success: A Concise Practical Guide and Community College Success: A Concise Practical Guide.

Her personal interest and talents included writing fiction. A sample draft chapter from a book that she was working on can be enjoyed on her memorial website. She loved life. She loved to travel and expressed enthusiasm about seeing other parts of the country and certain places in the world, including a visit to Japan as an adult. She and her husband were planning trips together for their retirement years. The food channel was ranked high among her TV viewing interest, and she considered exploring new and different restaurants when traveling to be an essential spice of life.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents Luther and Miriam Whitaker, and her three brothers, Tom, Glenn, and Jeff. She is survived by her beloved husband, David L. Strickland, Jr., her devoted and loving son, Jordan Cornwell, and her cherished stepdaughter, Elisabeth Joy Strickland. Carol also leaves behind countless extended family in upstate New York. She will be missed by her dearly loved adopted family including Raleigh Way, Daniel Sepulveda, and Delilah Way. Carol held a special place in her heart for all of her lifelong friends, including Deb Holt, Susan Foster, Nina Gaby, and so many other friends and colleagues from the University of Rochester and Georgia Southern University. Furthermore, Carol had so many loving friends in the more recent years, including Alan Thornton, Mark and Phyllis Dallas, and many other treasured friendships, too many to count.

Finally, Carol will never be forgotten by the “Gemstones”. Carol loved this sisterhood of lifelong friends who zoomed weekly and reunited together every year or two. These special women are Kim Choisnet, Laurie Doyle, Vicki Guggenbickler, Elaine Hanagan, and Grace Patterson.

A memorial service to celebrate the life and memories of Carol June Strickland will be held online using zoom on Sunday, November 13, at 3:00 PM. The event will include a brief slideshow of moments in Carol’s life, a formal ceremony by the Nurses Honor Guard of Georgia, and an opportunity for anyone to recount memories or offer memorial comments. Like the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations common in Mexico, the ambiance of this memorial meeting will be less one of sorrow and more of a joyful time that helps people remember the deceased and celebrate her memory. It is most fitting to honor Carol in this way because she has many times ordered, “I don’t want people to mourn my death, I want them to celebrate my life.” Anyone who would like to attend the zoom meeting may find the link for the meeting by logging onto the memorial webpage at www.caroljunestrickland.com

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to do so, are encouraged to donate to the GoFundMe account established to help with funeral and medical expenses for Carol. The link for the GoFundMe page is https://gofund.me/3cbb17ef