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James Joseph Carter
ELKHART -- James Joseph Carter, 66, of Elkhart, died at 2:17 a.m. Monday (March 1, 2010) inElkhart General Hospital after a brief illness. He was born Aug. 17, 1943, in Cleveland to Joseph A. Carter and Dorothy A. Zarko. He is survived by one son, Steve J. (Eve) Carter of O'Fallon, Mo.; two grandchildren, Drew and Natalie Carter of O'Fallon; one sister, Joyce (Marvin) Duren of Uniontown, Ohio; one brother, Daniel (Suzanna) Carter of Leander, Texas; and former spouse and mother of his son, Lucinda "Cindy" (Willard) Martin of Lakeland, Fla. He was preceded in death by his parents. Mr. Carter was a computer technician for Honeywell Industries in the northern Indiana region for nearly 25 years. He was an avid baseball enthusiast and will be best remembered for coaching teams at Osolo Little League and being a baseball mentor for his son, Steve. He also enjoyed watching and cheering for the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Browns. During the Vietnam era, he was stationed in Okinawa in the U.S. Air Force as a communications officer. Visitation will be one hour prior to Friday's 7 p.m. memorial service at Billings Funeral Home, 812 Baldwin St., Elkhart. Pastor Shannon Bishop of Elkhart Church of God will officiate. Military honors will be rendered Friday at the funeral home by the Elkhart DAV Chapter 19 and the USAF Funeral Honor Guard. As per family wishes, Mr. Carter has been cremated. Burial will be at a later date in Ohio. Memorials may be given to the Osolo Little League. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.billingsfuneralhome.com.
CondolencesThe following condolences were left by family, friends, and loved ones of James Joseph Carter.
Thanks to all of you for your kind words. It would mean a lot to him. I could write for hours about memories, but here's just a few. One of my favorite memories as a kid was Sunday's during football season. Sometimes we'd erect a mini tower with a small antenna in the front tower so that we could get a fuzzy, nearly unwatchable glimpse of the Browns game out of Toledo. Usually the tower would fall down at least a couple of times during the game, and we'd run out in the rain or snow to prop it back up. For special games, we'd drive a couple of hours to get into Ohio and watch the game somewhere. Those drives, just me and my Dad, were moments I'll treasure. I'll also remember all of the endless times he'd throw me batting practice. He probably took a 100 line drives off the shins (or worse!), and yet he'd always get back up. We had a bucket of baseballs and he wouldn't stop until we finished them all, no matter how much it hurt. Finally, I remember playing Nerf football in our living room, when I was probably 5 or 6. The hallway and kitchen were the end-zones, and the knick-knacks on the tables were innocent bystanders that often wouldn't survive (poor Mom). Now that my son is 4, we're starting to do the same thing in our living room. Thanks again to all - I can't tell you enough how much it means to me. Steve Steve Carter It was a pleasure knowing Jim while he worked for us at Turner Group. I remember him offering to watch our children a couple of times so my wife and I could have a date night. He was considerate and kind, he will be missed. Although he reported to me, in some ways he mentored me as a young manger. May you find peace in this time of grief. Ben Hunsberger Steve, we wanted to extend our condolences to you and your family as we just read in our paper that your Dad passed. I'm sure you know he could not have been more proud of you, and we could always count on seeing him at your games with his ever-friendly ways. Our hearts go out to each of you and your children who have lost a loving Grandfather too soon. Our love and prayers, Bill and Nancy Guerrant Bill and Nancy Guerrant (Ty Dawson) Steve & Family - I just saw that your dad passed away. When I read about his life, I was taken back over 20 years just like it was yesterday. I can still see Jim walking from the first base coach spot, picking up the bat and flipping it!! Jim and George made a great team. All the way to playing at Memorial your parents never missed a game. That was a very happy time in our lives and it will forever be in our hearts. I see you are married and have 2 children. I am so happy for you. Zack is also married and has 3 children. He has continued the family tradition and coaches as much as he can. Give my best to your mother. Best regards, Patti & George Nickell Patti Nickell To Steve Carter and family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and all the family members of Mr. James Carter. Floyd Cline My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort. Patricia Lim One more thing. When I was little, he frequently tried to "keep me in line" by telling me that, if I misbehaved, he would drop me off at "The Used Brother Lot." Where is that? Well, according to Jim, it was behind the Lawson's store. Somehow, I managed to avoid being dumped there over the years. I consider myself VERY fortunate! Thanks to Suzanna for reminding me of this. It certainly deserves mentioning. Godspeed, Jim! Dan Carter Steve, My sincere condolence on the passing of your dad and "our" coach. I'll never forget the days of him coaching us through little league. It was never the same when he wasn't standing on the third base line. My family's thoughts are with you and we will pray for all of you. God Bless, Henry Guzzo and Frank, Cynthia, Jaymie and Emily Henry Guzzo Our deepest condolences go out to the Carter family. We will always remember the gentleness in Jim. He was simply an honorable person. Working with him was a pleasure and sometimes we would have deep philosophical talks that were heartwarming. We loved him. Sincerely, Chris and Lynn Marie Helvey The Helvey Family Steve, Eve, Natalie, Drew, Joyce, Marv, Dan, Suzanna I couldn't believe this when Kelly told me. I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and I will be thinking about you on Friday. Life seems to pass by so quicky. Each and everyone of us must cherish everyday with the ones we love. Deepest Sympathies, Rose Rose (Carter) Pettitt Eve and family, My thoughts are with you as you enter into this week! It's another chapter in your life that many do not care to be a part of. With God's help and his plan for you guys, you all will endure and make it through. It may not seem like you will, but with loving family and friends you do. Please let me know what I can do for you Eve when you arrive back home. Take care, Michelle Galik (Eve's Bunco chick!) Michelle Galik I am so sorry to hear of Jimmy's passing. He was our Honeywell Technician at Excel Industries for many years. He was one of the best. He was such a happy person, we always enjoyed having him around. Janet Eagan It's time to rest now, my brother. Thoughts of Jim: Playing football for Revere HS in Richfield/Bath, Ohio. It wasn't long until he figured out that it hurt when those big guys landed on top of him! Telling his little brother to "Stop braking it!" in no uncertain terms when he was working on his car's brakes, and little bro innocently replying "I'm NOT breaking it! I'm just stepping down on this pedal!". Letting me choose all of the candy I wanted from the rows and rows of sweets at Colonial Pharmacy in Bath, where he worked as a teen. He and Owner Bill covered me. Thanks! Taking me to visit his friends, the Howes, in Bath. Sledding down that steep hill. Swimming at the neighbor's. Shooting BBs at the chickens and watching them flap and squawk like, uh, mad chickens! Playing with Brent, Cindy, and Tina. Glen and Elinor were great friends of his. Tagging along with him to Ascot Park in Akron, and Northfield Park in Northfield. Seeing him refuse to go place a bet at Northfield for our mom, who wanted $5 to win on "Do Dan". He said "No, Mom. Keep your money. That horse will never win." And 3 minutes later, "Do Dan" won and paid $47 to win! Mom was none to happy with him the remainder of the evening! :-) The Cleveland Indians. The Cleveland Browns. He loved those teams, win or lose. So does his son, Steve. Jim set up a nice batting cage in his basement for Steve to practice as a little guy. Steve went on to play LL baseball in the Osolo Little League, with Jim as a coach. Steve grew to become an all-state HS baseball player in Elkhart, frequently batting cleanup for his team. It was great to see Steve play in the Indiana state HS baseball championship game, and just as wonderful to see proud poppa Jim viewing the action. I'll never forget it. Just like I'll never forget coaching my son Ken's T-ball team and him turning to the kids beside him and saying "That's my dad!" with a big smile on his face while I was speaking to them. You can't buy this kind of moment. It just happens, and is etched indelibly in your mind forever. I better stop, or else this guest book might run out of room. You're in a better place now, Jim. No more stress. No health issues. Take it easy. I'll be joining you one of these days, as will we all. God bless you, Jim Carter. Dan Carter
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