Mrs. Karen Verell Maccarone

March 5, 1953 - December 27, 2018

Karen Verell Maccarone, MD, FAAP went to be with the Lord on December 27, 2018. She lived a full life as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother to her family. She was born in Jackson, Mississippi on March 5, 1953 to Boyce and Bennie Verell. She graduated from Wingfield High School as Valedictorian, attended the University of Mississippi as a Carrier Scholar, and was admitted to the University of Mississippi Medical School after just three years of college. Upon graduation from medical school, she completed a pediatric residency and adolescent medicine fellowship at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She practiced pediatrics in Jacksonville, North Carolina for 22 years. During that time she served as the medical chief of staff at Onslow Memorial Hospital and also served on their governing board. While in Jacksonville she was an active member of 1st Baptist Church Jacksonville and also served on key committees in the New River Baptist Association. She continued to practice medicine in Mississippi beginning in 2004 when she moved until she retired in 2018. In retirement, she went to work for Rankin Baptist Association as a Ministerial Assistant serving the needs of others. She was a faithful member of First Baptist Church Terry and taught Sunday School with a level of expertise even the pastor was impressed with. She researched scripture so she could give an in depth understanding of its meaning to her class. Her diagnosis of cancer- Ewing’s Sarcoma in July 2014- never seemed to slow her down for long. She went into remission on two different occasions and was most recently battling a third recurrence this fall. She is preceded in death by her parents Boyce and Bennie Verell and leaves behind her husband of 42 years Jim Maccarone, their children Jennifer (husband Josh Hardin), Rebecca, and Stephen, and her two sisters Retha Gregory (husband Greg Gregory) and Alice Shannon (husband Jamey Shannon). Additionally she leaves behind three grandchildren, Ben and Grace Hardin and Elena Maccarone. Karen loved to read, sew, knit, cook (as evident by her volumes of cook books), and enjoyed working in her garden. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Visitation will be Sunday, December 30, from 4-6 PM at Chancellor Funeral Home in Byram, funeral services will be Monday, December 31 with visitation from 9-10 AM and the service at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers a donation to the 1st Baptist Terry transportation fund may be made on her behalf.