Joyce Carnley Little

Joyce C. Little, 74, of Jay, died May 30, 2015 at her home due to the effects of cancer. Mrs. Little was born July 23,1940 in Pensacola, Fla., to Crawford and Alice Myers-Carnley of Jay. Mrs. Little, who was raised in the Ebenezer community, graduated from Jay High School in 1958. During high school, Mrs. Little began working as a bookkeeper at Griffin Tractor Company in Jay and then moved on to Monsanto in Pensacola, where she worked for two years before starting a family. Later in life she would go on to work in several Bible bookstores and eventually retired as the secretary of Jay First Baptist Church in 2000. During all this time, Mrs. Little served faithfully as a pastor’s wife in three Southern Baptist churches located in Louisiana and Florida. Her joy came from working with children in each church teaching them God’s word and directing children choirs, sometimes traveling to other churches with them to perform musicals. Mrs. Little was a member of Cora Baptist Church, in Jay, where she spent many years teaching children’s Sunday school classes, VBS and leading in children’s choir. She was also a member of the adult choir and the Women on Missions group. Mrs. Little loved many things in life – her husband, children, grandchildren and her brothers and sisters being her heart. She loved cooking for her family and friends and spent countless hours in the kitchen teaching each of her grandchildren to cook. The only thing she loved more was being in the outdoors, working in her yard planting and transplanting flowers and plants of all kind. She was independent and active every day of her life touching so many people in the process by sharing God’s love. Mrs. Little is survived by her devoted husband of 55 years, the Rev. Thomas Little, Jr., of Jay; two sons, Gilbert (Deb) Little of Ft. Worth, Texas and Jeffrey Little of Pensacola, Fla.; one daughter, Janet Little Cooper of Jay, Fla.; four brothers, Earl (Edna) Carnley of Pensacola, Ray (Anne) Carnley of Milton, Jimmy (Karen) Carnley of Pace and Ricky (Shelly) Carnley of DeFuniak Springs; two sisters, Dorothy (Joe) Botts of Milton and Linda (Randy) Tarleton of Lakeland, Fla.; two brother-in-laws, Charles Walsingham of Milton and Skip Warren of Milton; two sister-in-laws, Frances G. Carnley of Lakeland and Betty (Lamar) White of Atmore; three grandchildren, Meredith Little of Ft. Worth, Texas, Austin Cooper and Bryant Cooper, both of Jay; and many nephews and nieces. Mrs. Little was preceded in death by her parents; her in-laws, Thomas and Susie Nelson Little of Jay, granddaughter, Reagan Reid Little; one brother, The Rev. Jack Carnley of Lakeland; and two sisters, Bonnie C. Walsingham of Milton and Judy C. Warren of Pace. A visitation will be held on Monday, June 1, 2015 from 3-5 pm at Cora Baptist Church. Funeral services will begin 5:00 pm. The family would like to thank Dr. C. David Smith of Jay who discovered Mrs. Little’s cancer three years ago and referred her to doctors, Stephen Theis and David Fiveash at UAB and the use of the Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge while she received treatment in Birmingham. A special thank you is extended to Sharon Murell of Century, for her devotion, sacrifice, compassion and love shown to Mrs. Little as her caretaker and to Summer Stuckey with Hospice, for taking excellent care of Mrs. Little in the nursing home and then again at home. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge in Birmingham at 1104 Ireland Way, Birmingham, AL 35205. Jay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.