Carroll Randolph, Sr.

Carroll Lee “Buddy” Randolph, Sr., of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Gideon, Poplar Bluff and Dexter, died Monday, May 20, 2024, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

Buddy was born Oct. 31, 1941, at the family farm in rural Gideon to the late Homer Lee and Nina Lucille Walker Randolph. He and Karen Sue Link were married Dec. 27, 1963, at the First Baptist Church in Malden.

Buddy graduated from Gideon High School in 1959. He attended Southeast Missouri State College and School of the Ozarks before graduating from Arkansas State College in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Buddy is survived by his wife of 60 years, Karen Link Randolph; one daughter, Lori (Darren) Garrison of Piedmont; two sons, Lee (Lori) Randolph and Lyle (Nicole) Randolph, both of Jackson; two sisters, Savanah Hargraves of Kodiak, Alaska, and Arvilla Early of Campbell; two brothers, Larry (Carolyn) Randolph of Wappapello and Dencel (Jeanette) Randolph of Gideon; four granddaughters, Kyra and Krysten Garrison of Tampa, Florida, and Reagan and Reese Randolph of Jackson; two grandsons, Kyle (Fayth) Randolph of Jackson and Logan Randolph of St. Louis; one step-grandson, Rylan Bell of Jackson; one great-grandson, Walker Randolph of Jackson; and, another great-grandchild expected in the coming weeks. He also leaves a host of friends from all over southeast Missouri including those from local coffee shops, his numerous business associates and clients, and the staff at many area banks—especially those at his local bank in Gideon whom he would often visit multiple times per day.

Buddy was active in various business endeavors in the Missouri bootheel over the past 60 years. He began his professional career in 1963 at Tri-County Grain in Gideon and later was a farm chemical representative for Cypress Supply Company in Portageville. He was a real estate broker, an insurance broker, a licensed nursing home administrator and was a notary public. For many years, he owned and operated Century 21 Randolph Real Estate with offices in Gideon, Malden and Kennett. Over his career, Buddy served as an administrator at several nursing homes throughout the region. He also owned residential care facilities in southeast Missouri and, most recently, was co-owner of Community Wide In-Home, LLC, with his friend Terry Davis.

Buddy was a passionate entrepreneur and launched a bottled water business in the area, Country Ridge Spring Water, at a time when purchasing water still seemed ridiculous to most. Similar to the concept of Claire’s, Buddy owned Splendor, a retail store in the Kingsway Mall in Sikeston during the 1980’s. Buddy’s dream was to own a successful professional sports team. In an era before the WNBA and other leagues, Buddy owned the Chicago Breeze, a Major League Volleyball team that was comprised of Olympic-caliber women volleyball players. Buddy was also involved in ownership of several now-defunct teams including the Sacramento Stars of the National Volleyball Association, the Springfield (Missouri) Thrill of the United Basketball League, and the Kansas City Legacy of National Women’s Basketball League.

Buddy previously served as the president of the Gideon Kiwanis Club and was a prior member of the Malden Rotary Club. He also served 10 years as a member of the Gideon Public School’s Board of Education. Buddy was a lifelong member of Stanfield General Baptist Church in Gideon where he was a former Sunday School superintendent, deacon and trustee. He was an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and was passionate about politics.

Visitation will be at Stanfield General Baptist Church located at 608 South Gideon Avenue in Gideon on Friday, May 24, beginning at 11 a.m. Services will be officiated by Bro. Andy Evans at 1 p.m. and burial will follow at Dunklin Memorial Gardens in Kennett.

Honorary pallbearers include several long-time friends, Bob Grissom, Rex Rackley and Gordon Waller; and cousins, Gerald Woolverton, Jim LaBrot and Kelly Walker.

Pallbearers include Kyle and Logan Randolph, Rylan Bell, Marshall Trawick, Darren Garrison and John Grissom.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the church that meant so much to Buddy, Stanfield General Baptist Church of Gideon, c/o Nancy Grissom, 5687 West County Highway 162, Gideon, MO 63848.