OBITUARY: Carol Temple

Carol Temple, age 82, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away peacefully from her spirited life on Sunday, March 23. She was preceded in death by her parents, Luther and Margaret (Burton) Boner; husband, Billy Joe (Rusty) Temple; and her siblings, Bennie Boner Roberts, Rainey Boner, Byrns Boner and Peggy Boner Garrett, who passed away on March 12, 2025.

Carol is survived by her siblings, Tommy Boner (Mary Ann), and Dorislyn McGee; her children, Rusty Temple (Rita), Sherree Cantrell (Cary), Gary Temple (Sara), and Ricky Temple (Ceci). Grandchildren include Jeremy Temple (Susannah), Maegen Cantrell, McKenzie Cantrell, McCall Cantrell, Alexis Lee (Gordon), Grayson Schmidt (Peter), Claire Dunkley (Josh), Haley Temple, Madison Temple and Gatlin Temple. Her great-grandchildren are Rech Temple, Lydia, Noah and Sally Schmidt and Thomas and Hannah Lee.

Carol was born in Nashville, Tennessee and grew up in North Nashville, now known as Germantown. She went to North High School and was co-captain of her cheerleading squad, along with her sister and best friend, Peggy. She also played the French horn. She met the love of her life and future husband, Rusty, at North High.

They started their life together in East Nashville and she began her life’s calling of motherhood. For the next twenty plus years, her children were her primary focus. She spent many years at Shelby Park and enjoyed being a team mom. Carol worked as a crossing guard at 14th and Ordway and at East High School. She became an excellent cook with mentors on both sides of her family. She was well-known for her Taco Tuesdays, before Taco Tuesdays was considered a cool fad. She also fed the Belmont Baseball team on these Tuesdays when her sons, Gary and Ricky, were on the team. When her children were in high school, Carol also fed many of their friends. Her cooking was legendary. Carol worked as an usher, at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, in the later stage of her life and loved the job that she held for more than 20 years. It was at TPAC that Carol met and become extremely close to one of her best friends, Barbara Lee. Carol loved and lived in her home in East Nashville for over 55 years. Her neighbors affectionately referred to her as the “Mayor of Manchester Avenue”.

Carol came to know the Lord as an adult and was a long-time member of Dalewood Baptist Church. She was a member of the choir and loved being part of the Singing Christmas Tree at Christmas and Living Pictures at Easter. She was also a part of the banner ministry, a pre-school Sunday School teacher and a VBS volunteer. She was also a member of Steve Braden’s Sunday School class.

Visitation will be at Phillips-Robinson Funeral Home Friday, March 28th, from 2-8pm. Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, March 29th at Brush Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 3705 Brush Hill Rd. Nashville, TN 37216, at 12pm with visitation 2 hours prior. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park.

It was Carol’s desire that her service be one of celebration so please feel free to wear brightly colored clothing to her service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her memory be sent to Dalewood Baptist Church, 1586 McGavock Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37216.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.