Raymond T Carter

OBITUARY FOR RAY CARTER Raymond T. Carter, a much-loved brother, uncle, colleague and friend passed away at 76 years at Trustbridge Hospice on June 6. Ray was a fifth generation Floridian through his ancestor, Antonio Suarez, who arrived from Cadiz, Spain in the late 1700s. Ray was born on January 26, 1946 in Port St. Joe to Robert T. and Martina 'Peggy' Roberts Carter. His father was a bridge builder and the family of six traveled in a small trailer all over the state. They finally settled in West Palm Beach when Ray was in second grade and he met his lifelong best friend, Dave McIntosh, at St. Ann's Catholic School. Ray learned many construction skills growing up which gave him the ingenuity to build his own house on Nokomis Avenue. He could create or build anything. Ray attended St. Ann's School through ninth grade and was a graduate of Palm Beach High in 1964. He earned an A.A. degree at Palm Beach Jr. College and then traveled the country in his twenties. With his shaggy long dark hair and bushy mustache, he resembled Burt Reynolds. He also served his country in the Army reserve. He became a fabricator at Fowler's Sheet Metal but eventually wanted a career with new challenges. In 1992 at the mature age of 46, he entered the Palm Beach County Fire Academy. Much to everyone's surprise, he was the fastest runner in the class. He did well in the fire service and became an engineer. He was a great problem solver, keeping the cranks, valves and hydraulics in top shape. He made many friends in his early years at station 33 and later at 23 where he enjoyed working in the crew with Captain Andy Morzella (ret). The fire service took its toll on his health and Ray retired before he was ready in 2009. He was a throat cancer survivor and an enthusiastic supporter of Palm Beach County Fire Benevolent Fund's Pink Pumper which raises cancer awareness in the community. Andy recalled that in his early years, Ray built and installed the copper roof on the very top of the Jupiter Lighthouse. The lighthouse is a strong, shining light to guide mariners from troubled waters to safety. In many ways, Ray was that strong, shining light for firefighters all across Palm Beach County. Ray was a talented photographer, guitar strummer, and fierce competitor in sawing contests with his older brother, Bob. He leaves five siblings: Patricia LaValley (WPB), Robert H. Carter (Vista, CA), William F. Carter (Astatula), and half-sisters Susan Richardson and Tammy Carter, (Franklin, GA). Carol Popp Scholl (RPB), his niece, survives him as does her father, George Popp, Jr. (Port St. Lucie), Ray's former brother-in-law. They remained good friends throughout his life. Nephews, Roger Carter (Long Beach, CA) and Tim Carter (Chuckey, TN) also survive. Dave McIntosh, Leslie Ritch, and their daughter, Madison (WPB), were like a second family to Ray. He developed a great love of opera while following Madison Marie McIntosh's career. Dave recalls, the words "great guy" were used by everyone who knew Ray because of his integrity, loyalty, skills and humility. The family would like to thank the medical staff at St. Mary's Hospital and Trustbridge Hospice for treating Ray so well. The ICU staff, some of whom knew Ray from the fire service, treated him like a brother and eased the anxiety of family members. The staff sees the worst cases with frequent sad outcomes, but they treat each family with patience and genuine thoughtfulness. Although Ray loved dogs and raised several, he became very concerned about the community cats in his neighborhood. He took care to trap, neuter, and spay them. His special cat, Blondie, will miss him greatly for the many meals he provided and protection from the raccoons. We believe that Ray stopped at the other side of the Rainbow Bridge to check on the dogs in his life: Skippy, Diogenes, Vulcan, Nacho, and Gator. In fact, he may still be there. If you would like to make a donation in Ray's name to a charity that he cared about, here are two. Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League (peggyadams.org) 501(c)(3), 3100 N. Military Trail, WPB, FL 33409, 561-686 3663 or the Palm Beach County Firefighter Benevolent Fund, Inc. (firefighterbenevolent.org), 501(c)(3), 561-328 1993.