Carol Northcutt Banta

Carol Northcutt Banta, 78, of Gatlinburg, TN for many years, then followed by Lutz, FL, Conroe TX, Smithville TN, and eventually Adams, TN, passed away on July 28, 2022.

Carol was born on August 24, 1943, to Lera Mae Tilford Northcutt and Joseph Laughry "Mr. Pete" Northcutt in Woodbury, TN. Carol helped with the family general store in Woodbury, attended and graduated as Valedictorian of Central High School in Woodbury, where she participated in creative writing activities, cheerleading, and beauty pageants. Carol's 1961 High School yearbook reveals that she received the "Prettiest" superlative. Having the brain to go with the beauty, Carol went on to study at the University of Tennessee, where she participated in choral groups and social sororities.

After graduating with a Bachelor's of Science, she started her first job as a social worker in the Atlanta area. After her marriage to John Banta in 1965, the couple lived in Alaska and the San Francisco Bay Area. Then, the couple moved to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where Carol opened her first retail store, the Cornucopia. Carol and John went on to have 2 children, [Henry] Scott and Joseph, and were divorced. Eventually, Carol sold her businesses and worked as the Sales and Marketing Director for many years at the River Terrace Hotel in Gatlinburg.

Carol will be remembered for her social grace and her love for jewelry.

Carol is preceded in death by her siblings Dixon Northcutt, Jean (nea Northcutt) Alexander, George Northcutt, and Foster Northcutt, also by her ex-husbands John Banta and Walter Heath. She is survived by her two sons: Henry Scott Banta and his spouse, Jenny Banta, their son, Henry Tyler Banta and daughter, Ashley Chris Banta; and Joseph Eugene Banta and his wife, Kristye, their daughters, Alexandria Genevieve Banta, Arianna Verity Banta, and Anastasia Caroline Banta, and their son, Atticus Joseph Banta.

Graveside services will be held at Riverside Cemetery on Monday, August 1, 2022, at 11 am. Tim Gentry will officiate. Share memories and condolences with the family at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337. Because every life has a story.