Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

April 1, 2023

Richard Craven Carter Jr.

April 5, 1939 – April 1, 2023

Charlotte, North Carolina – Dick Carter built a life of deep meaning around the three things that mattered most to him. He and his wife, Lane, raised three sons and doted on their seven grandchildren. His faith inspired him to serve his church as lay leader for over 17 years, pouring his heart into winning souls for Christ. His calling to help turn boys into men explains why he served 25 years as a Scoutmaster, and why 87 of those Boy Scouts, including all three sons, earned their Eagle Scout.

Family. Faith. Scouting. Richard Craven Carter, Jr. packed a lot of virtue into his almost 84 years. He died on April 1, 2023, after a yearlong struggle with cancer. He was at home, surrounded by Lane and their boys.

Dick grew up in Henderson in eastern North Carolina, son of Richard and Jane Carter. A hint of what was to come, he attended First United Methodist Church and earned his Eagle Scout. After graduating from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business, he moved to Charlotte for a job with First Union. He found his professional niche when he launched Dick Carter Realty. He focused on residential real estate, enjoying building relationships with clients, his warmth shining through. Running the office and selling real estate together with Lane gave him the freedom to embrace his other passions.

The Carters built their faith lives around Myers Park United Methodist Church. Dick and Lane were married there, as were their sons. Their sons and grandchildren were baptized and confirmed there. Dick and Lane belonged to the Builders Sunday School class, where they made lifelong friends. Dick served as a youth counselor and Sunday School teacher in the boys’ early years. When hundreds of children flocked to church for Vacation Bible School, Dick was the silver-haired volunteer helping six-year-olds learn their Bible lessons. As lay leader, he connected laity with clergy and staff. He was typically at church three or four nights a week for this meeting or that dinner. He enjoyed taking staff members to lunch, often to the old Hotel Charlotte. Lane says he loved being lay leader because he loved the church. For the past 55 years, most Sunday mornings, you could find Dick and his family sitting on the 6^th pew on the left for the early service. Following the service, you could catch Dick hanging out in the Parish Life Building lobby, chatting with folks, answering questions about the budget or youth building under construction.

In the Scouting community, Dick was often compared to the heroic figure in Norman Rockwell’s 1956 painting, “The Scoutmaster.” Under a night sky ablaze with stars, the scoutmaster tends the campfire as his scouts sleep peacefully in their tents.

As Scoutmaster of Troop 55, he could tie knots. Put up a tent. Perform first aid. Make GORP for the annual backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail. He became a Scouting legend locally and nationally, serving 32 years on the board of the Boy Scouts of America Mecklenburg County Council. He received the Distinguished Eagle Scout award among many other honors. Dick was also conferred into The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by the Governor for extraordinary service to the state of North Carolina.

Dick enjoyed the hikes and such. But his greatest reward came in developing young men’s character. His style was to lead quietly, letting the boys find their own path. The Carter boys are in their 50s. But the so-called scout closet in the Carters’ south Charlotte home remains packed with tents, twine, tarps and such. You never know when someone might want to go camping.

Dick is survived by his wife of 56 years, Lane. He is also survived by three sons and their families, all of whom live in Charlotte – Richard Carter III, his wife, Jennifer and their children, Grayson and Richard; Rob Carter and his wife, Kim and their children, Emma, Bobby and Sam; and Wes Carter and his wife, Margaret, and their children, Ann Wesley and Virginia.

A service to celebrate his life will be at 1 p.m. Friday, April 14, at Myers Park United Methodist Church, 1501 Queens Road in Charlotte. Visitation follows in the church’s Jubilee Hall.

Rather than flowers, a gift in Dick’s memory can be made to the Builders Class at Myers Park United Methodist, 1501 Queens Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28207. Please write Dick Carter/Builders Class in the memo line. You can also make a gift to Boy Scouts of America Mecklenburg County Council (www.mccscouting.org), 1410 E. Seventh St., Charlotte, N.C. 28204.

The family is grateful to Dick’s oncologist, Dr. Asim Amin, for his kindness and care.

Sitting around the kitchen table the day after Dick died, his family talked about his gift for asking questions, then listening to the answer. How he loved knowing what his grandchildren were up to. How a good day included reading on the back porch or cutting up tree limbs with a chainsaw. His sons shared a text they received from a friend about their father and how growing up the Carter home with the big rec room and basketball court was the preferred gathering place for teenagers to escape from adolescent pressures.

“A real oasis,” the friend called it.

Dick Carter helped boys become men. Skeptics become believers. The anxious find peace. That’s a good life.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC; 28204 (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.