Fred Luther Carter, Jr.

Mr. Fred Luther Carter, Jr., age 83, of Flowery Branch passed away Monday, April 20, 2015 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Braselton, following a brief illness.

Funeral Services will be 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at McEver Road United Methodist Church with interment following at Holly Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Clermont.  Rev. Bob Bruce will officiate.  The family will receive friends 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at the church.

Mr. Carter is survived by his wife, Dorothy Blackwell Carter of Flowery Branch; two daughters by Elaine Sensabaugh Carter, Roma Carter Sayer (Stan) of Hartwell, Georgia and Anna Carter Bowen (Tommy) of Clermont; step-son, Lee Shinaberger (Jennifer) of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and two grandchildren, Marisa and Keith.  He was preceded in death by his son, Frederick Carter, III.

Fred was born in Old Hickory, Tennessee to Fred Luther Carter and Odell Lee.  One of his earliest memories was of selling newspapers to servicemen on an Air Force base at the end of World War II with his brother Bill on V-E Day.  They sold all their papers and the service men were throwing money at them in excitement at the war’s end.  The news office made an emergency delivery by plane with more papers.

Fred attended high school in Albany, Georgia and later joined the Navy to see the world.  He was trained at the Combat Information Center and served for four years on the destroyer Borie during the Korean War.   Fred participated in the evacuation of troops and civilians at Hungnam in late 1950.

Upon release from the Navy, Fred entered the Foreign Service School at Georgetown University and later George Washington University on the G.I. Bill.  He supported himself during those years teaching ballroom dancing and eventually working at the FBI.  At one time he confronted J. Edgar Hoover regarding a disciplinary action over a parking ticket, which led to a temporary posting filing in the Russian Division.  To be clear, this was not a promotion.

Fred moved away from the Washington, DC area and settled in Atlanta where Fred became the youngest manager for the J.C. Penney Company at that time.  He worked to establish a credit bureau in Atlanta and held other credit related positions.  While in Atlanta, he met and married Elaine Sensabaugh and they had three children:  Frederick, Roma and Anna.

Fred and his family moved to Cleveland, Georgia and his children attended White County High School.  He bought a farm, raised cattle, and operated a saw mill.  Fred and Elaine divorced.  He was member of the Yonah Mountain Masonic Lodge# 382 for 39 years.

Fred’s last position was a Business Manager for the Appalachian Wilderness Camp of the Georgia Outdoor Therapeutic Program (OTP) in Cleveland.  One of his major contributions there was creation of the 45 acre lake that eventually became the White County Water Authority’s reservoir.  As OTP grew he was asked to oversee the construction of facilities for the Roosevelt Wilderness Camp in Warm Springs, Georgia.  The two camps in Cleveland and Warm Springs helped to rehabilitate hundreds of emotionally disturbed children over the years.  At OTP he met and married Dorothy Blackwell.

Fred retired from OTP in 1994 and he and Dorothy relocated to Flowery Branch.  One of his main joys has been quietly supporting the Friends of the Hall County Library System.  He enjoyed buying and reading as many books as possible, frequently buying them by the box full. 

His family wishes to express their thanks to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Braselton for their support and caring during Fred’s brief illness.

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Friends of the Hall County Library System, 127 Main St NW, Gainesville, Georgia 30501, (770) 532-3311 or the Masonic Home of Georgia, 1417 Nottingham Dr, Macon, Georgia 31211, (478) 743-5154.

Memorial Park South Funeral Home, 4121 Falcon Parkway, Flowery Branch, Georgia  30542 is in charge of arrangements.  Send on-line condolences to www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com.