Willie Carter Jr.

Mr. Willie Carter, Jr., 80, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully at Elkhart General Hospital on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 11:57 am following a brief illness. He was born in Edwards, Mississippi on April 29, 1941 to the late Willie and Leanna (Collins) Carter, Sr., and later married Mary Frances (Carpenter) Carter, who survives him at home.

Also surviving is Willie’s son Anthony L. Carter of Elkhart; brothers J.C. (Lula) Carter and Jessie Carter, both of Elkhart; sister Leonteen Henderson of South Bend; grandchildren Erik Michael and Brooke Nicole Carter, and a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and good friends. Preceding Willie in death are brothers Fred, Ed, James, John, Leonard and Sterling Carter and his sister Mary Lessie Carter Bradley.

Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart is hosting Willie’s Celebration of Life Service on Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 1:00 pm, with viewing and visitation beginning one hour prior at 12 noon. The Reverend Michael A. Carpenter, Assistant Pastor of Canaan Baptist Church of Elkhart and whom also is Willie’s nephew, will officiate and burial will follow at Prairie Street Cemetery in Elkhart.

Willie was retired after years in the local manufacturing industry, having worked many, many years at Adams-Westlake, Ltd., Whitehall Laboratories and Monaco Coach.

He was an avid sports fan and simply loved relaxing in front of his TV watching different games throughout the day. He was especially a baseball fan, with the Chicago White Sox being his favorite team, but he was pretty fond of the Bears as well, and tried to catch a game whenever he could. Willie also had a pretty good sense of humor, and enjoyed watching sit-coms, but always lamented that they weren’t anything like the good ol’ days when shows like The Jeffersons, All In The Family and Sanford and Son were in their prime. Willie always loved it whenever Fred and Lamonte got into it with each other, or when Auntie Esther was coming over to visit.

Finally, it should be mentioned that Willie loved to work outside in his yard and was very proud of the condition of his yard and his garden. He was also a big “people person” and loved to visit and talk and catch up on all the latest with his family and friends. He was very outgoing and never knew a stranger.

Memorial donations may be given to the charity of one’s choice. Friends and relatives are encouraged to read the entire obit and leave condolences, memories and/or pictures of Willie by clicking “Tribute Wall” on his obituary page on the funeral home’s website and then following the prompts.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Willie Carter Jr., please visit our floral store.