CARLTON, Ga.
— A former high school teacher who was born with autism and died of complications from diabetes at the age of 47 is “embarrassing” to her own children for their admiration of her, a former classmate said.
Melissa Carrollton, who was the subject of an obituary in the Atlanta Journal Constitution last month, died from complications from complications of diabetes, according to her obit.
She was one of the first teachers at Carrollton High School, which was renamed Henry County High School in 2014.
Carrollton died Feb. 2 at her home in Carrollton.
She had been hospitalized multiple times and had multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatments for the disease, according with the obit in the Journal Constitution.
The obit also detailed how Carrollton loved reading, singing and drawing, and was an avid golfer.
Carrollson had a history of depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety, according her obits.
The obituaries say Carrollton was an “amazing” teacher who loved her students and their families.
“A little child who was one and all, a child who loved his classmates, a mother who loved him and his children and a teacher who never stopped pushing the boundaries,” her obituations read.
She was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1965 and moved to Atlanta to live with her parents, said a friend of Carrollton who did not want to be identified.
Her family has a home in Atlanta, her friend said.
A memorial service for Carrollton will be held Wednesday at the Atlanta United Football Club’s training facility, according the friend.
Atlanta United was formed in March after Carrollton’s death, and the club was named in her honor in May.
