Maureen Carter

JUNE 3, 1947 – MAY 20, 2026

Maureen Carter, 78, passed away on the evening of Wednesday, May 20, 2026 surrounded by her family and favorite dog Rooby after a very brave and hard-fought battle with cancer. Maureen was born in 1947 in Oakland, Ca to Frank and Regina Sweeney. The family later moved to San Leandro, CA where Maureen grew up, along with her older brother Mike.

She graduated from Pacific High School in San Leandro in1965 and upon graduation she moved to live in Hawaii. She later returned to the bay area and began working at the Kaiser Engineering Firm out of Oakland. She then became a stewardess for Trans International Airlines out of Oakland from about 1967-1970. During this time, she had the opportunity to see many international destinations overseas that she wouldn’t have otherwise likely traveled to.

In 1969 she met the love of her life, Jim Carter. They married in 1972 in El Cerrito, Ca. and Maureen welcomed Jim’s daughters Patty and Cathleen into the family. At that time, she worked at Container Stevedoring and Jim worked in construction. In 1976 they welcomed their first child together, a daughter, Tiffany, and later moved into their first house they built together in Walnut Creek, Ca.

By 1979 they relocated from the bay area where they had both been born and raised and moved to Placerville, Ca. Jim’s parents had already moved to Placerville in the years prior, Maureen’s cousin Judy and her husband Skip Kelly had been living in Placerville for some time and Maureen’s parents Frank and Reggie had left the bay area and moved to Pine Grove, Ca. in Amador County. Once settled in Placerville, Jim and Maureen welcomed their second child together, a daughter, Sarah, in 1980.

In 1979 Jim and Maureen became business partners with Judy and Skip Kelly to form their commercial construction company Carter/Kelly, Inc. The company’s first job of recognizable size was the Town Hall located on Main Street in Placerville. Over the years, Carter/Kelly, Inc. worked on projects ranging from restaurants and commercial office spaces, with the primary emphasis on Hospital and School construction. In the early 2000’s the Kelly’s retired and focused on enjoying time with family.

Maureen and Jim continued as the owners of Carter/Kelly, Inc. and enjoyed developing many wonderful working relationships with various industry friends throughout the years. As owner/corporate secretary of the company, Maureen played a vital role in the oversight of operations.

Maureen’s non-profit involvement started in the early years with Soroptimist, El Dorado County Fair Junior Livestock Auction Committee Treasurer (30 + years), started an annual coat give away known as Koats-4-Kids with family friends. She was past board president of the El Dorado Community Foundation, past board president and founding cabinet member of the El Dorado Women’s Fund. She took great pride along with Jim in their continuous leadership support of the Boys and Girls Club El Dorado County Western Slope.

Maureen was an avid Oakland A’s baseball fan and loved the Oakland Raiders. She loved to play her piano at home and playing the calliope on the Vicini Family Fire Truck for many community parades and events also brought her great joy. She took any opportunity to travel, and she was the best at planning each trip in great detail.

Maureen is preceded in death by her parents Frank and Regina Sweeney, in-laws Lennard and Emogene Carter, Stepdaughter Patricia Diaz. She is survived by her loving husband of 54 years Jim Carter, daughter Tiffany Carter, daughter Sarah Carter, Stepdaughter Cathleen (Mark) Morton, Grandchildren Erica Oceguera, Alicia Kitchens, Jessica Oceguera, Madison Diaz and James Conlin. Brother Michael (Leslie) Sweeney and brother in-law Peter (Angela) Carter along with several nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of her life will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville (Forni Building). In Lieu of flowers, in keeping with Maureen’s philanthropic spirit, contributions can be made to the non-profit of your choosing.

A Celebration of Life will be held on June 25, 2026, at 1:00 pm at El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive, Placerville, CA 95667.