Lois Muriel Carter

I don’t think anyone has ever really thought of Lois as strong willed…but looking back at her life, that’s what she was at heart. A quiet, amiable person. Soft spoken. But,strong. Decisive. Steady. Self-reliant.

Raised by her parents, Kenneth and Jessie Brinkerhoff, along with her older sister Barbara, in Bloomfield NJ, she had a quiet, stable family during a turbulent time in our nations’ history…born during the depression and growing up during WW2, the family moved to Bloomfield when Lois was in junior high school. She lived in that huge house at 93 Essex Ave till after graduating from Bloomfield High School in 1952, when she defied her parents and joined the marine corps.

While in the service, she became a secretary working in the Pentagon in Washington DC.

While in the Marine Corps she met and married John Carter and had three children in 3 years. Unfortunately ending in divorce, something not common in 1964, she returned to the house on Essex ave and lived with her parents and three children.

I didn’t realize at the time what a huge privilege it was to be surrounded by an extended family. I remember my grandfather teaching my mother to drive..She would take us 3 kids on a vacation by herself every summer… Forked River…Barnegat Bay…even camping with a pop-up she borrowed from our neighbor!

We remained in the house through the death of her parents.

In 1975, Lois lost her youngest child, Diane , to a tragic accident. This was a devastating time in her life. Both of her parents died within 18 months of Diane’s passing.

Lois and her sister were close and remained so until Barbara Brinkerhoff Corrigan’s passing.

She found comfort in her fellowship at Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green where she was an active member for many years.

Having worked in the Pentagon in the service as an executive secretary, she had no problem finding work as a secretary, working for Bloomfield

College for many years. Her last employment in NJ was for King’s Supermarkets home office.

Then…in 1986 she decided to follow me to Austin Texas.

She was a huge part of my family’s life. She spent many happy times with her grandchildren Jessie, Helen and Kenny….holidays and summer vacations at the coast…San Antonio Zoo…she was a constant part of our daily lives.

She was fortunate to have lived long enough to know and cherish her great-grand children Justus and Sun Porter.

She worked for the State of Texas Employees Retirement System for the State of Texas until her retirement in 1993.

After retirement, she volunteered at the gift shop in Seton Hospital downtown.

She was a member of University United Methodist Church.

She was a huge part of my and my family’s life and she is sorely missed.

It has been a privilege to be your daughter.

Lois is survived by her daughter, Linda Carter; her three grandchildren - Jessie Mikolaichik, Helen Mikolaichik Porter and Kenneth Mikolaichik-along with her great grand children Justus and Sun Porter.

And her son, John Randal Carter, his wife Nancy Carter, and granddaughters Elizabeth Carter and Melissa Carter.