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.