Capt. Jack L. Carter, USN, Ret., beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, left this life to enter life eternal on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011 with his wife and family by his side.
Born in Covington, Ky., on Jan. 11, 1926 to Paul and Jean Carter, he was the youngest of five children, all of whom preceded him in death.
A graduate of Lloyd High School in Erlanger, Ky., he entered the Navy V-12 Program at Berea College in 1943. In 1949, he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and, in 1959, a master of science degree in chemistry from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
Jack married Arlene VanderHeuvel (deceased) in August 1949 and together they raised two daughters, Christopher Carter (deceased) and Candis Carter Tistadt.
Retiring in 1975 after 32 years, Jack had a long and decorated military career, with a Bronze Star awarded in 1972. At the close of World War II, Jack was sent to Japan as part of the occupational forces where he spent two and a half years as a diver disarming unexploded mines and bombs in the waters along the Japanese coast.
Jack’s naval career included two tours in the Pentagon, one in London as the U.S. liaison to European NATO Forces, and another as a member of the commissioning crew for the USS Saratoga. His last tour of duty was as commanding officer of Kitsap County’s two linked military bases: Keyport Naval Torpedo Station and Naval Submarine Base Bangor.
In June 1982 he married Joan Brix Mentor. They made their home in Sausalito, Calif., where both were very involved in the Sausalito Presbyterian Church — Jack as an elder and Joan as one of the pastors. A highlight in their life together was the year they spent in Italy.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughter, Candis; stepchildren, Jennifer Mentor Mills and her husband Derek, Judy Mentor Eagleson and her husband Jeff, James Mentor, and Joe Mentor Jr. and his wife Marie; grandchildren, Jesse Mittelbronn, Ashley Davis and her husband Tim, Tracy Tistadt and fiancé Michael, Will and Katrina Mentor, Jeffrey and Jenna Eagleson, and Sophia and Davis Mills; great-grandson William Davis; and many nieces and nephews.
Private burial service will be followed by a memorial service on Feb. 25, 2:30 p.m. at the base chapel at Bangor. Celebration of Life is scheduled Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. at Sausalito Presbyterian Church.
Non-military personnel attending the Bangor Chapel service, please RSVP to 360-692-3079 for base clearance.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Juvenile Diabetes Research International, 26 Broadway, 14th floor, New York, NY 10004; or the Sausalito Presbyterian Church Mission Committee, P.O. Box 236, Sausalito, CA. 94966.
— Family of Capt. Jack L. Carter
