Charles Carter Obituary

Curt Carter's father Charles Loomis Carter was a civil engineer and his mother Mary Drake Carter was a high school Spanish and English teacher.  After his birth in Detroit, he grew up in Chicago, Illinois; Trenton, Michigan; St. Petersburg, Florida; and South Pasadena, California.  Curt joined the Navy on July 4th, 1945 at the age of seventeen as a Naval Aviation Cadet.  He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Business Administration and proceeded to flight training, He earned his wings as a fighter pilot in 1948 and two days later married Mary Ann Hindery, of Deland, Florida. 

The couple met at a "shoe dance" for nursing students at St. Vincent's hospital in Jacksonville, Florida and were married just a few months later.  The women threw one shoe into a pile from which the men chose a shoe and danced with its owner.   

Curt and Mary Ann have five children:  Deborah Ann Bennett of Tampa, Florida; Cathy Carter Duncan of Santa Barbara, California; Charles Curtis Carter, Jr. of Lewiston, Maine; Jan Elaine Keith of Reston, Virginia, and Margaret "Peggy" Lea Blank of Rockville, Maryland.  The five children produced sixteen grandchildren and there are twenty great grandchildren and three great, great grandchildren, comprising five generations.  

Curt and Mary Ann shared a 34-year career in the Navy.  They lived up and down the east and west coasts. Including tours of duty when Curt flew a varitey of fighter and submarine-hunting aircraft, was commanding officer of an aviation squadron, and commanding officer of the supply ship USS Niagra Falls during the Vietnam war and the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. Throughout these tours of duty Mary Ann served countless hours as a volunteer, often leading her community of fellow Navy spouses in Navy Relief projects, in addition to raising her five children and growing naturally into the role of grandmother.  She continues to dote on the babies in the family.  

Curt fondly remembered his roommate at flight traing and fellow squadron member Jesse Brown, the Navy's first African American pilot.  Jesse died a hero after crash landing at 5,000 feet on a mountain in North Korea in early 1951, making Jesse one of many pilots to be killed in action during the Korean war.  Curt was a night fighter pilot in Korea. It was such a dangerous role that five years after Jesse died Curt was the only survivor of his and Jesse's flight class of six.

Curt’s US Navy highlights

Pre-flight class 9-47

Date received wings 10/21/1948

2 Korean tours VC-3 (night fighters)

F4U-5N and F2H-3 1951-1953

Basic and Preflight instructor 1953-1955

UCLA, BS Business Cum Laude 1955-1957

Assistant CIC Forrestal 1957-1959

VS-27 1959-1962

Command and Staff College Newport, RI 1962-1963

War Gaming Department, Naval War College 1963-1965

XO VS-30 (RAG squadron) Key West, FL 1965-1966

XO/CO VS-34 Quonset Point, RI 1966-1967

Ops officer WASP 1968-1969

Operations Analysis Division J-3, JCS 1969-1971

CO USS Niagara Falls AFS-3 1971-1972

CO USS Lexington 1972-1973

Assistant Chief Staff Operations, US Taiwan Defense Command,

Taipei, Taiwan 1973-1976  

Assistant Deputy Director Ops, National Military Command Center, JCS 1977-1979

 

Curt’s US Navy Commendations

Distinguished Flying Cross

Meritorious Service Medal

Bronze Star Medal

Air Medal

Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon

Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon

China Service Medal

Korean Service Medal W/2 Stars

American Campaign Medal

WWII Victory Medal

Navy Occupation Service Metal

National Defense Service Medal

Bronze Star Medal

Vietnam Service Metal W/Silver Star

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

United Nations Service Medal

Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon

Republic of China, Order of Cloud and Banner

Republic of China, Remembrance Medal

Defense Superior Service Medal

 

Upon the completion of his naval service, Curt went to work as a stockbroker for the brokerage firm Merrill Lynch, from which he retired at the age of 65 in 1993.  He and Mary Ann enjoyed many happy years at their modern version of a traditional Florida tin-roofed home in Clearwater, Florida. Which they had built on property next to US 19, with a picturesque pond in the backyard in which several generations of their progeny fished (and sometimes swam, when alligators weren't about). 

Curt and Mary Ann were both golfers over the years, but Curt was truly avid about his hobby, perfecting a steady and conservative golfing style that produced reliably good score cards.  One highlight of his retirment included when Curt and his son Chuck enjoyed immensely their jaunt to the "old course," St. Andrew's in Scotland.

Curt died of Alzheimer's disease on his 90th birthday, the 9th of December, at 9:00 am.  At the time of his death he was living with Mary Ann, in the 69th year of their marriage, at the Regal Palms memory care facility in Largo, Florida.  Mary Ann continues to reside at Regal Palms, Largo, Florida.   

 

Born: Dec 09, 1927 in Detroit, Michigan

Died: Dec 09, 2017 in Largo, Florida

About: Flying Midshipmen Association Military Officers Association of America, Inc. WWII veteran Korean war veteran Vietnam war veteran Rotarian, Clearwater Florida Cove Cay Golf Club member

Obituary

US Navy Captain Charles Curtis "Curt" Carter died December 9, 2017 at 9 am on his 90th birthday.  He had Alzheimer's disease.  He is survived by his wife of 69 years Mary Ann Carter.  The couple celebrated their 69th anniversary in October.  Additional survivors include their daughter Deborah Ann Bennett of Tampa, Florida; Cathy Carter Duncan of Santa Barbara, California; Charles Curtis "Chuck" Carter, Jr. of Lewiston, Maine; Jan Carter Keith of Reston, Virginia; and Margaret "Peggy" Lea Blank of Rockville, Maryland.  

The five children produced sixteen grandchildren, twenty great grandchildren, and three great, great grandchildren, comprising five generations from Mary Ann and Curt to youngest Carter offspring.

Curt served 34 years as a naval aviator and commanding officer the USS Niagra Falls and USS Lexington.  He was a veteran of WWII, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war.  Subsequent to his naval career Curt worked for 14 years at the brokerage firm Merrill Lynch, retiring at age 65 in 1993.  

Curt was a devoted golfer at Cove Cay Golf Club, Clearwater Florida, until his health declined, a hobby he shared with Mary Ann for many years.  In his retirment he and son Chuck took a memorable trip to Scotland to play the "old course" at St. Andrew's.  Curt contributed to many charities and was active in the Clearwater branch of the Rotary Club and the Flying Midshipmen Association until his health precluded active participation.  He was a dedicated and decorated military officer who loved his country and his family.  We all dearly miss him.