Carrol Ann (Mings) Wagoner, daughter of the late Alford Dale Mings and Louise (Owens) Thornhill, was born Sep. 29, 1949 at Norwood in Wright County, Missouri and passed away Dec. 21, 2020 at her home in Poway, San Diego County, Calif. She was 71 years, 2 months and 22 days of age. Carrol was a hardworking, independent woman in most every area of her life. She was lead salesperson for a mortgage firm in La Jolla, Calif. in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The company catered to her and she took a lot of pride in her accomplishments. Carol was an entrepreneur who owned and operated several businesses and was a born salesperson regardless of the product. She was a leader, a planner and organizer and was fondly named “Colonel Carrol” because she took control and was in charge. She had a crazy sense of humor when she let it show; she loved entertaining and was known for her great food and hospitality. She always chauffeured the visiting Missouri relatives all over southern California to many tourist locations; Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Hollywood Walk of Fame and anywhere else they wanted to go. No matter how many times she had already been there, she never complained about taking the new bunch of relatives. Carol loved to travel and had lived Internationally. She was a bargain-hunter and enjoyed frequenting the La Jolla, Calif. garage sales on Saturday mornings. Carrol was preceded in death by her father, Alfred Dale Mings (1922-1982); her daughter, Dee Anna (Wagoner) Koerner (1969-2015); and two sisters Beverly Kay (Mings) Helsley (1953-2005) and Annette Louise Mings (1964-1964). She is survived by her mother, Louise (Owens) Thornhill, of Mountain Grove; brother, Gary Mings, of Mountain Grove; grandson, Jacob “Jake” Koerner, of Poway, Calif.; step-daughter, Tammy (husband Marion) Higginbotham, of Crossett, Ark.; brother-in-law, Bruce Helsley, of Marshfield; four nieces, Shawna Helsley, of Branson; Holly Helsley, of Marshfield; Michika (husband Josh) Litton, of Platte City; and Sarah (husband Adam) Hammett, of Drury; great-nieces and nephews; and many cousins and friends. She loved her daughters and adored her grandson. She will be greatly missed. Carrol was cremated; a memorial service will be at a later date.
