Carol Leigh Gresehover
Carol Leigh Gresehover (née Rogers) passed away in Austell, Georgia, on Monday, November 11, 2024, after a short illness. She died peacefully, surrounded by her loving family. She was 74 years old.
Carol was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but was mostly raised with her sister by a single mother in Detroit in circumstances that were not always comfortable or easy. Despite that, she grew up to be a happy, popular teen who worked, volunteered, and attended junior college after high school.
She met her husband, Ken Gresehover, in 1972 and fell in love with him in Pontiac, Michigan, despite his impressive (some might say immersive) facial hair. They soon married and started a life together, celebrating their 50th anniversary last year. Job opportunities led the family to relocate to the South — first in Hickory, NC, and more recently in Acworth, GA — where she would see both of her sons graduate from the University of North Carolina System and then watch her grandchildren grow up.
Carol was a fierce fighter for those she loved, and despite worries about the dangers of the world, she was usually upbeat, with a laugh that could fill a room (or several). She was a devoted and loving partner to her husband, making a happy home even when she worked as a baker at various grocery stores. She gave everything to her children as a mom, making a home that was frequently the place where their friends gathered as well. She then gave the same loving treatment to her grandchildren, making their favorite meals as often as they asked and traveling throughout Northern Georgia (and beyond) for every season of travel baseball.
She was a tremendous cook, and her grandsons would often tell her she should be on the hit TV show MasterChef. From her fan-favorite panko chicken to the new recipe of the week, she was truly in her element in the kitchen. When she wasn’t cooking and laughing with family, she loved crafting and making her home cozier and more beautiful, or closely following the activities of Korean boy band BTS, as she was their number one fan.
Carol is survived by her husband, Ken; her son, Ehren Gresehover, and partner Tammy Oler of Brooklyn, NY; her son, Jason Gresehover, and wife Lyndsey Gresehover of Dallas, GA; her grandchildren, Brooks and Brady; and her sister, Lisa Muirhead, and husband Mike Muirhead of Greensburg, PA.
Carol did not like funerals and was adamant that she not have one, so there will be no formal ceremony, but condolences expressed in other ways are welcome. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude’s Hospital or Atlanta Food Bank in her memory.
