Dr. Ramon Leonard Carroll Jr. passed away on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at the age of 83.
Born in Greeneville, S.C., on Dec. 27, 1942, Dr. Carroll was known for his servant’s heart. He was an encourager and a giver whose impact was far reaching.
A 1960 graduate of Lenoir City High School in Tennessee, Leonard attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, finishing his undergraduate degree in two years. He went on to earn his doctor of medicine degree from the University of Tennessee School of Medicine in Memphis, after which he completed his internship and residency at Baroness Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Following medical school, Dr. Carroll served in the Army and the Army Reserves, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
After his military service, Leonard set up a general surgery practice in Chattanooga and earned his board certification. He soon felt called to rural, small-town medicine, a calling he passionately fulfilled for more than 33 years.
He moved to rural Jamestown, Tennessee, in 1989, where he served patients at his private practice and at Jamestown Regional Medical Center. In 2007, he moved to Clewiston, Florida, where he continued to practice medicine and quickly immersed himself in the community.
Dr. Carroll was a member of the Rotary Club of Jamestown and Clewiston, eventually becoming a Paul Harris Fellow. In Clewiston, he served on the Hendry Regional Medical Center Foundation Board for many years. He was also a lifetime member of the Friends of the Clewiston Library.
Upon retirement from the full-time practice of medicine, Leonard never slowed down. He got his real estate license and was affiliated with Sugar Realty. After obtaining his broker’s license, he started Carroll Integrity Realty. In addition to his real estate business, Carroll continued to live out his calling and love for medicine by serving as the medical director for VITAS Home Hospice in Clewiston.
Dr. Carroll was a member of New Harvest Church, where he was as an elder and served on the board of directors for Harvest Academy Christian School.
In his free time, Leonard’s favorite hobby was reading, and you seldom saw him without a book in his hand. A lifelong New York Yankees fan, he also enjoyed collecting stamps, books, and baseball cards.
Leonard was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Ramon Leonard Carroll Sr., his mother, Evelyn Morse Carroll, and his son Peter Benjamin Carroll.
Dr. Carroll is survived by Cindy, his wife of 41 years, and children Christi Ware of Nashville, Tennessee; Leonard Carroll III and Robert (Dara) Carroll of Cleveland, Tennessee; Lincoln (Kristine) Carroll of Frisco, Texas; and Emily (Jason) Gerwig of Springfield, Illinois. His legacy lives on through grandchildren Ashley Gunn, Jessica (Eric) Dustin, Ryanne Ware, Caitlin Forsythe, Chase Carroll, Chelsea Carroll, Lincoln Carroll, and Meredith Gerwig, and great-grandchildren Jason Gunn, Ryland Dustin, Emerson Dustin, Colson Forsythe, and Oaklynn Forsythe. He will also be remembered fondly by his loving extended family, including sister-in-law Betsy (Keith) Laakko of Elmhurst, Illinois, niece Annelise Laakko, and nephew Will Laakko.
We’ll always remember Leonard’s unique way of looking at the world:
“If you can’t see it until you see it, you will never see it.”
Leonard truly lived out that vision and spent his life pursuing a calling to serve others.
A Celebration of Life will be held at New Harvest Church in Clewiston on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Harvest Academy Christian School in the name of Dr. R. Leonard Carroll.
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