Roy Wallace Carroll

Roy joined his last, but greatest flight school in Heaven on June 14, 2025. He was born in Huntsville, Alabama on February 26, 1956; preceded in death by his parents, James Wallace and Riley W. Carroll.

He is survived by his brother, Mark Carroll (Janice) of Birmingham, AL; his sister Virginia Jones (Tom) of Birmingham, AL; and his sister Ann Welzyn (Ken) of Owens Cross Roads, AL. He is also survived by his niece, Erin C. Agostini (Paul) and their daughters, Lydia and Anne; his nephew Brent Jones (Kelly) and their children, Amelia, Stratton, and Thatcher; his niece Anna Voss (Josh) and their children, Ansley, Avery, Brandon, and Arden; his niece Shelley Johnson (Mark) and their sons, David and Michael; his niece Hannah Welzyn; and his nephew Philip Welzyn.

Roy was an American patriot and proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he achieved the rank of Sergeant. His lifelong passion was aviation. While his hereditary color blindness prohibited his ability to attend military flight school, it did not keep him from sitting in the cockpit of many a modern Air Force fighter jet as an Egress Technician, where he maintained complex ejection seat systems to ensure the operational readiness of his squadron’s aircraft and the safety of their flight crews.

Following military service, Roy returned to Huntsville and continued aviation-focused activities in the civilian sector. When he wasn’t flying perfectly good aircraft as a private pilot, he was jumping out of them. Roy was an accomplished parachutist; logging many jumps of such height that supplemental oxygen was required with free-fall delays of up to 60 seconds. One of his most memorable jumps including his certified participation in a Free Fall Star Formation involving eight skydivers in a complete circle while holding for more than 5 seconds, or 1,000’.

Back on earth, Roy enjoyed many years on the civilian flightline as a member of the renowned Rocket City Radio Controllers (RCRC) Club in Huntsville, where he shared his love of aviation with fellow enthusiasts, pilots, and skilled modelers; serving several terms as their Safety Officer. He rarely missed the chance to attend an airshow within a few hundred miles of home – especially if the Air Force Thunderbirds or Navy Blue Angels were performing.

Roy worked at Wyle Laboratories in Huntsville for several years before joining the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as a Substation Operator, where he maintained complex electrical facilities across north Alabama for 19 years until his retirement.

Roy was known fondly by many names: cherished son; beloved brother, fun uncle; fellow veteran; skilled pilot; my-very-best-friend-since-childhood; accomplished technician; and caring neighbor. Today, our sense of loss by Roy’s untimely passing is comforted by the knowledge that he is soaring to new heights within the glorious skies among God’s Heavenly Host.

In keeping with his pre-planned wishes, Roy was caringly cremated by the Spry Funeral Home of Huntsville and interred at the Carroll Family plot at Maple Hill Cemetery with his father, who passed Thanksgiving week 1966, and his mother, who passed before him almost two years to the day in 2023. Roy’s personal, well-worn Bible, presented to him by his mother following his conversion to Christ as a young boy, was prominently located on his bedstand table with a place marker at Psalm 30:11-12: “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; … and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!”

A Celebration & Remembrance Service for Roy, including military honors conducted by an Air Force Honor Guard and multiple memorial demonstration flights, will be hosted by members of the RCRC organization at their Capt. Trey Wilbourn Model Airplane Field at 11:00am on Saturday, September 27, 2025. The airfield is located at 4100 Leeman Ferry Road, Huntsville, AL 35802. For additional information about RCRC, see their website: www.RocketCityRC.com

In lieu of flowers, trees, and/or meals, contributions in Roy‘s honor can be made to the Tunnels To Towers (T2T) Foundation at:  www.T2T.org

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Roy Wallace Carroll, please visit our floral store.