Carolyn Jean Gorman

Carolyn Jean Gorman, 85, of Leicester, NC, passed away on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at her home with her family by her side. Born January 15, 1940, in Swannanoa, NC, she was the daughter of the late Alfred and Wilma Goguen.

She was a graduate of Charles D. Owen High School. A few years after graduating from high school, she went to work for Biltmore Dairy Bar, where she met her future husband, John D. Gorman Sr. They would be married for 57 years until her passing.

In the late 1980s, she started her first of many businesses in Asheville, Carolyn’s Style and Tanning. Over the next several years, she would open many more businesses in the Asheville area, including CJ Hair Styling, B-unique Salon, and Asheville Beauty, Hair, and Makeup. She would also eventually expand into Mars Hill with Carolyn’s Tanning.

In addition to her spouse, John, she is survived by her children, Deborah Gorman, Jody Wright, and her spouse, Mark, and John Dennis Gorman Jr. and his spouse, Sabrina, all of Leicester, NC, and a granddaughter, Jessica Jensen of Leicester.

A funeral will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in the chapel of Grace United Methodist Church in Leicester, with the family receiving friends an hour prior. She will be laid to rest in the church cemetery.

The family would like to acknowledge Pat Ward and all the CarePartners Hospice team members for the care they provided to Mrs. Gorman.

Penland Family Funeral Home is honored to be caring for the family at this time. 

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