Carol Jeanne Osteen, a long-time North Augusta resident and active community fixture whose life spanned eight decades, died on November 5, 2026, at the age of 81 following a long illness, according to the Aiken Standard.
Before making South Carolina her home for the past 41 years, Osteen grew up in Algonac, Michigan, and worked as a florist at Flipse Flower Shop in Kalamazoo. Her professional life later included stints at Hey Kids Child Care and Kit N’ Caboodle after relocating south.
Much of her energy in North Augusta centered around St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, where she maintained a decades-long membership. She coordinated the church bazaar as co-chair for 18 years and participated extensively in parish life, including the Episcopal Church Women, Stephen Ministry, the Altar Guild, Adult Choir, Folk Group, Community Ministers, Parish Life, and the Soup Kitchen Team, alongside attending EpiscoPals lunches.
Outside of her parish work, Osteen shared an extensive travel history with her husband of 46 years, Charles Michael “Mike” Osteen. Their journeys together encompassed 14 Caribbean cruises, three trips to Alaska, a voyage to the Baltic Sea, a Rhine river cruise, and visits to Hawaii, Scotland, France, and England, paired with a shared enjoyment of writing poetry.
She is survived by her husband, Charles Michael “Mike” Osteen; her son, James Paull, and his wife, Wendy; her step-daughters Dawn Gillespie and her husband Chris, Pamela Osteen, and Laurie Pilcher; three grandchildren, Savannah Paull, James Pilcher, and Trey Scott; and her sister, Kathy Beeman, and her husband John. She was preceded in death by her son Thomas Paull and her sister Pat Christy.
Services are scheduled for December 5, 2026, at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, with the Reverend Joseph Shippen officiating. The family will receive friends in the Parish Hall from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM prior to the service and from 12:30 PM until 1:00 PM afterward, followed by a lunch and a toast celebrating her life.
The ladies of the Tuesday Crafters for Christ group at St. Bartholomew’s will serve as honorary pallbearers, and the family requests that memorial gifts be directed to the St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church Memorial Fund.
