Carolyn Ragland Busby

Mrs. Carolyn Ragland Busby, 84, died Monday, July 28, 2025, at her home in Oxford, Mississippi. The funeral will be Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at 2:00 P.M. in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Rev. David Ard and Rev. Buster Wilson officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service beginning at 12:00 noon in West Hall of Waller Funeral Home. Burial will follow the service in Oxford Memorial Cemetery.

Carolyn was born on May 1, 1941, to the late Fred Ragland and Gertrude Alderson Ragland. A lifelong resident of Oxford, she knew there was no better place to raise her daughters than the same beloved community where she grew up. For over 35 years, she was an optician and receptionist for Dr. C.M. “Bo” Murry, providing support to both him and their patients. Her smiling face and calm nature instantly put others at ease and she struck them all with her ability to remember each and every one by name. She later retired from the State of Mississippi Probation and Parole Office, where she served as an administrative assistant, providing the same reliable support for which she’d always been known. Carolyn was a faithful member of New Prospect Baptist Church.

Carolyn was deeply loved and widely admired by all who knew her. Her warm heart, gentle spirit, and unwavering kindness left a lasting impression wherever she went. Whether through her laughter, her listening ear, or the quiet ways she showed up for others, she had a rare gift for making people feel seen, valued, and cared for. Friends, family, and even those who only met her briefly often spoke of how easy it was to love her – and how much brighter the world felt in her presence. Carolyn’s legacy of love and compassion will live on in the many lives she touched.

In addition to her parents, Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband, Windell Busby; and her grandson, Ben McNeely.

Carolyn is survived by her three daughters, Pam McNeely and her husband, Jim, of Oxford, Mississippi, Donna Oliphant and her husband, Lloyd, of Oxford, Mississippi, and Kim Cauthen and her husband, Dusty, of Natchez, Mississippi; sister, Mary Frank Wilson of Oxford, Mississippi; five grandchildren, Kacey Edwards, Tanner Marquis, John Peyton Marquis, Sydney Cauthen, and Connor Cauthen; as well as four great-grandchildren, Alice McNeely, Hartley Edwards, Neely Edwards, and Luke Edwards.

The family extends their deep appreciation to Carolyn’s caregiver, Jerry Holliday, for her constant love, support, and kindness.

Expressions of sympathy or memorial contributions in Carolyn’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, or online at www.stjude.org.