Merle was born September 23, 1933, to Lester and Lorene Carter. As a young man, he joined the US Army, honorably serving from 1949 to 1953. He earned The National Defense Service’s Good Conduct Medal and returned home to Madison County. He married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Ann Wallace, on October 2, 1955. Together they started a family of three daughters, followed (finally!) by a son. He owned Carter TV Sales for a few years, then became intrigued with the world of computers. He worked at General Electric during the boom of the 1960s, followed by many years of service at Teledyne Brown Engineering. After retirement, he loved dabbling in the stock market and managing the family farm. Merle was a member of Hurricane Primitive Baptist Church, serving faithfully as an ordained Deacon beginning in 1978.
Merle is survived by his daughters Donna Lamb Bowyer (Donald), Melanie Kay Coffman (Jimmy), Melissa Ann Vann (Steve); and son Johnathan Ray Carter (Barbara). His grandchildren are April White (Nick), Kristy Rossi (Joe), Andy Coffman (Chelsey), Brian Coffman (Jessica), Brooke Young (Tommy), Adrienne Moon (Brent), Joshua Carter, and Jared Carter (Lauren). His numerous and talented great-grandchildren are Ashton Coffman, Kendall Young, Zachary White, Elijah Moon, Vivian Coffman, Leah Moon, Saylor Young, Moses Coffman, Carter Rossi, Jack Carter, Cora Coffman, Sarah Moon and Sawyer Carter due soon.
A celebration of life for Merle will be held Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Valhalla Funeral Home, 698 Winchester Rd Ne, Huntsville, Alabama 35811. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the nonprofit RC&D Council, 5514 US 31 South, Hartselle, Alabama 35640. Their work protects Alabama’s mountains, rivers, and valleys.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.valhallafunerals.com for the Carter family.
