Carolyn Hardison Partridge, born November 14, 1939, in Williamston, North Carolina, danced her way into the great beyond on August 26, 2025, at the age of 85, leaving behind a trail of laughter and unforgettable stories. She took her final bow in Newport News, Virginia, but not before leaving an indelible mark on everyone she met.

Carolyn was a woman who knew how to live life to the fullest. After retiring from Philip Morris in 1989, she embarked on a journey of adventure, traveling to places far and wide, always with a twinkle in her eye and a suitcase full of tales. Her infectious humor and magnetic personality made her the life of every party, and her storytelling could captivate even the most distracted listener.

Preceded in death by her mother Elizabeth Whitley and her husband Tommie Whitley, father John Everett Hardison, brother John Renneth Hardison, nephew Shaun Hardison, and best friend Mary Sword and her son Andrew, Carolyn leaves behind a legacy of love and laughter.

She is survived by her daughters, Deborah (Conway) Lewis and Jaclyn (Conway) Spechio, who inherited her knack for storytelling and zest for life. Diann (Sword) Combs and Kim (Sword) Tyo her shared daughters, her grandson, Hans “Nathaniel” Lewis, and great-grandchildren Emery, Autumn, Hoyt, and Haylee Lewis will surely carry on her spirited legacy. Carolyn is also survived by her brother Jerry Hardison, sister Kathy Hardison, niece Samantha Boothby, nephew Nicholas Hardison, dear friend Madaline Conley, and a large extended family and friends scattered across Kentucky and North Carolina.

A Celebration of Life will be held privately at a later date, where stories will be shared, laughter will echo, and Carolyn’s vibrant spirit will be celebrated as she would have wanted—with joy, humor, and perhaps a little square dancing.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you share a story, tell a joke, or dance like nobody’s watching in memory of Carolyn. She would have loved that.