Robert Eugene Carter

Robert E. Carter, loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, has taken that solo flight into the wild blue yonder, dancing in heaven with his beloved wife and swapping jokes with his family and friends that have gone on before him.

Robert, 86, came from humble beginnings, joining a clan of 12 brothers and sisters on the Oklahoma prairie, born on the family farm near Chelsea, Oklahoma on July 24, 1928 to Roma Mae and Orville Carter.

His sisters would spit curl his hair and his brothers would cause a dust up before the Carter kids would make that two-mile trek to school through the woods (uphill both ways in the snow, you would know).

Robert reveled in the joy of living in the country, even as America plunged into the Great Depression. He paid no mind to his dust bowl surroundings, and found joy in raiding watermelon patches and fishing along the Verdigris River. Most of all, the tough times were offset by the love of his many brothers and sisters.

Like those before him, he played football for the Chelsea Green Dragons (in the days before helmets mind you), and walked miles and miles to attend the many social events in the small town, usually capped off by a five-cent hamburger and soda at the drug store.

As he watched his older brothers go off to fight in Europe and the Pacific theater of World War II, Robert tried on more than one occasion to sneak into the military, first giving the Navy a go, but told he was too young. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was accepted, sent to basic training before being shipped off to Europe. Once in Germany, Robert served the United States Air Force in the Berlin Airlift, the first major international crisis of the Cold War, which saw western Allies carry supplies to people in West Berlin.

Robert met the love of his life, Thekla, in Germany. She served the American forces as a translator and the two soon hit it off and were married in 1951. The couple had their first child, Michael, in Germany. The military assigned Robert back to the states, and he was shipped to Alaska, California, and eventually Perrin Air Force Base in Denison, Texas. Along the way, Robert and Thekla had two daughters, Theresa and Kathy, and two more boys, Steve and Gary.

In 1968, Robert was called to duty in Vietnam, serving the Air Force fight against North Vietnam at Bien Hoa Air Base. On the night of the Tet Offensive, his base was overrun, and by the grace of God and Army helicopters, Robert was saved from enemy hoards and allowed to fight another day.

Upon his return to the states in 1969, Robert retired from the USAF and joined the civilian ranks as a maintenance supervisor for Montgomery Ward's. A few years later, he joined the ranks of Texas Instruments' new facility in south Sherman. He would serve in his maintenance role there until his retirement in 1990.

Robert spent his golden years with his wife and his many grandchildren surrounding him, providing him with many days of joy and bliss. He enjoyed tinkering with antique boat motors, collecting firearms, fishing, hunting, and swapping jokes with anyone who'd listen.

He approached his fight with cancer as he did many things in his life, with a head-on charge and a positive outlook. He regaled his care team with stories of the old days, sometimes embellishing like every good storyteller might. A wink usually followed. But the twinkle in his eye shone bright until the day the Lord came calling.

Robert is preceded in death by his wife Thekla Carter, his parents, Roma Mae and William Orville Carter, his brothers Jim, Deece, Jess, Joe, and his sisters Eva Mae, Amy, Hazel, Nellie, and Sarah.

Robert is survived by his children Michael Carter and wife Shelia, Theresa Carter and husband Clark, Kathy Hutchins and husband Jim, Steve Carter and wife Kristy, and son Gary Carter and wife Jan, Robert's grandchildren Jennifer, Theresa, Cheyenne, Tyler, Morgan, Bobby, and Will, and great-grandchildren Jayden, Ryan, Cade, and Caleb, and his siblings Mary Sue, Dorothy, and Jerry, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5th, at Waples Memorial United Methodist Church in Denison, Texas with Rev. Roy Spore officiating. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery. Family visitation will be from 1-2 p.m. in the parlor at Waples UMC that same day.

Pallbearers for the funeral will be Mike Carter, Steve Carter, Gary Carter, Tyler Carter, Bobby Carter, Jim Hutchins, and Will Hayden.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in Robert Carter's name to the American Cancer Society, Helping Hands of Denison, or to the Lions Club Goodfellows Program.