The mayor of North Carrollton, Cooper L. “Pete” Misskelley, has died from complications of cancer.
Misskelley, 74, passed away on Sunday at his North Carrollton home.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Carrollton Baptist Church, with burial following in Evergreen Cemetery at North Carrollton.
Mr. Misskelley was married for 53 years to Cyril Dean Brownlow Misskelley. Together, they had four daughters and nine grandchildren.
Mr. Misskelley was well-known in the area as a multiple-term mayor in the town he loved best. He was a graduate of J.Z. George High School who became a perennial public servant, serving as a Carroll County deputy sheriff, a Carroll County Justice Court judge and warden of the Carroll-Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility in Vaiden from 1999 through 2007.
Misskelley was mayor of North Carrollton from 2007 to 2013 and then from 2017 until now.
During that time, he took particular pride in securing grant money to smooth out roads and to keep the water and sewage systems updated.
“He worked really hard to see that any opportunities for grant moneys could be secured to improve the life of citizens in North Carrollton,” said longtime family friend Linda Perkins.
Perkins recalled a trip to Washington, D.C. that Misskelley, his wife, Perkins and her husband made so that Misskelley could put some important documents directly into the hands of a federal official in order to make sure attention was paid to North Carrollton’s needs.
“He wanted to make sure the town’s best efforts reached someone who could do something,” Perkins said.
Perkins characterized her friend as “the most fun guy in the whole world.
“He loved people, he loved to make people happy and he had a natural God-given talent to do so,” she said.
Carrollton Mayor Pamela Lee said she had known Misskelley as long as she has lived in Carrollton and will miss him.
“He was sweet and thoughtful and was always ready with a good story,” Lee said.
Succeeding Misskelley as mayor of North Carrollton will be Vice Mayor Mitchell Costilow.
Visitation will be held from 5 until 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lee Funeral Home in Winona and at the church Thursday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service.
The family has requested that memorial contributions in Misskelley’s memory be made to the J.Z. George High School Band program, the Carroll Academy Rebel Booster Club, the Ronald McDonald House or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
