Clarence E. Carte

Clarence Edward Carte passed away just after his 84th birthday, Monday, October 8, 2018, in the company of friends, from multi-organ disfunction as a consequence of septic shock. Mr. Carte had been a resident of Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, working for the Smithsonian Institute for 30 years before retiring in 1994 with his wife to Culpeper, Virginia. Mr. Carte was born October 3, 1934, to Melvin Squire Carte and the former Gertrude May Wilson, in Blue Creek, Kanawha County, West Virginia, on a farm 13 miles up the Elk River from the capitol city of Charleston, West Virginia. He graduated from Elkview High School in Blue Creek, WV in 1953. A veteran of the United States Air Force, Carte served from 1955-1959. After his military service, he worked for the General Services Administration in Washington, D.C., as a guard for government office buildings for 3 years before working for the Smithsonian Institution for the next 30 years. He worked in several capacities at the Smithsonian, including Shop Leader for the Electric Shop, doing general electric work as well as working with audio visual equipment, and working on fire protection systems' testing and installing. While living in Washington, D.C., he met the young lady in the apartment above his, the former Marye Louise Hoffman Strittar, and they were married September 13, 1969, in Ashburn, Va. He and his wife, lovingly called MaryLou, shared their love for boxers and enjoyed the companionship of several through the years. Her praise of her husband was that there was not a mean bone in his body, to which all who knew him can attest. He was a kind, honest, and gentle man, diligent in his offices of church responsibilities, and a great lover of chocolate. He was preceded in death by an older brother who died before Clarence's birth; both parents; and his beloved wife. He is survived by his stepson, John Strittar (wife Phyllis), of Marathon, Florida. Services will be held Monday, October 15th, 2018 at 1pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 420 Willow Lawn Dr., Culpeper, Va. Following the service, his remains will be transported by Clore-English Funeral Home to Ebenezer Cemetery, 20421 Airmont Rd., Bluemont, Va, for a graveside Dedicatory service and interment. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humane Society of Culpeper, the General Mission Fund of the Church, or the American Cancer Society.