James A. McCarter

Jim is survived by his wife Carolyn, whom he married on May 14, 1994; his children: Dale McCarter; Deanne (Dave) Bertram; Jimmer McCarter; his step-children: Patrick (Amanda Olsta) Jeschke; Christine (Stuart Ough) Jeschke; Karen Jeschke; 7 grandchildren: Ravyn; Haley; Christopher; James; Cailum; David; Carlos; and 3 great-grandchildren: Alba; Maple; Maggie. He was preceded in death by his parents, Arnold and Jane McCarter, and his great-grandson, Gavin.

Jim moved to the Peoria area in 1983 from Indianapolis due to a job transfer and then moved to West Peoria in 1987. Jim retired from Komatsu American Corp in 2005, last working in quality control as a quality control engineer. His career with Komatsu spanned nearly 40 years.

Jim was a legend. He was vibrant, loving, creative, and so warm. His smile and laugh were contagious. His last years were spent in a battle with cancer and Alzheimer’s: a devastating set of diseases. Before Alzheimer’s started stealing Jim away from us, he was always so spunky. He had a sharp wit and amazing mind. He tinkered…a lot. He loved those in his life completely. No one knew this greater than his wife, Carolyn. She was the absolute love of his life, as he was hers. They signed all of their cards and love notes to one another “Forever and a day” and that is indeed how long their love for one another will endure.

Jim was dedicated to community service. He joined the West Peoria Lions Club in 1988 serving in various leadership positions, including President. From 1998 to 2006, he served as coordinator of the West Peoria 4th of July parade and flag raising ceremony, which was sponsored by West Peoria Lions Club. In 2008, he was elected to District Governor, Illinois 1-H. Jim is a Lions of Illinois Foundation Fellow. He is also a Lions Clubs International Melvin Jones Fellow – an honor awarded to those with outstanding contributions to the Lions. Jim worked side by side with his wife Carolyn as an honorary member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the West Peoria Fire Department, helping out in any fashion he could. Later, he became a Trustee for the Department, serving as Secretary from 2002 to 2014.

Now that Jim’s suffering is over, we can refocus our attention on the extraordinary man that he was. We can fondly recall his laugh. We can giggle thinking of all the pranks he pulled. We can aspire to be as helpful in our own communities. We can feel his love and friendship wash over us. Jim would never want anyone to linger in sadness and all who knew him will have a lifetime of beautiful memories from which to draw comfort and strength.

A memorial service will be at 3:00 pm on Saturday, May 15, 2021 with visitation one hour prior to the service at Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel in Peoria with a Fire Department Bell Service immediately following the service.

The family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions be made to Lions of Illinois Foundation (www.lionsofillinoisfoundation.org), 700 Peace Rd., Suite B, DeKalb, IL 60015; West Peoria Fire Department, 406 N. Waverly Ave., West Peoria, IL 61604; or to Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org), 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601.