John H. Carter

John H. Carter, 92, passed away Monday, August 28, 2017.  He was born in Crisfield, Maryland on November 29, 1924 to Henry and Ethel Carter.  His parents lived in a remote part of Siskiyou County where his Dad was mining so his Mother returned to Maryland to be with her family for the birth.  She returned to California in 1925.  John’s Dad rented and fixed up a house in French Gulch, CA where the family lived until 1933, when the family moved to Scott’s Valley in Siskiyou County.  John started school in French Gulch and completed the 5th and 6th grades in Scott’s Valley.  Both schools were one room and both were taught by “unqualified” teachers who did not have college degrees.  Of special note is that the Scott’s Valley school had neither electricity nor running water.  In 1936 the family moved to Redding where John entered school and completed the 7th and 8th grades.  He attended High School in Redding graduating in 1941 when he was 16.  John then went to work on the Shasta Dam and later the Keswick Dam as a jackhammer operator and a miner.

It was while playing in the band that John met his future wife, Kit Reading.  In 1942, she moved to Los Angeles to live with her Grandparents.  A short time later John enlisted in the Marine Corps serving in World War II.  It wasn’t until the fall of 1944 when he returned to the States after serving in the South Pacific that he saw Kit a few times while on leave.  During his duty in the Solomon Islands, he was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps Torpedo Bombing Squadron VMTB-134 and was a high-speed Radio Operator.  John earned the rank of Sgt. and saw action around New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, New Georgia, Munda, Green Island, Kavieng, Emirau, Peleliu, Okinawa and China.  He took part in four battles and was on 41 missions in the battle for Rabaul for which he was awarded a Presidential Citation.  On April 1, 1945 Sgt. Carter was in Okinawa where he served until the war ended.  He was discharged in November 1945.

Upon returning to the States he began to see Kit again and they were guests at the Copacabana in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day in 1945.  It was there that they became engaged as well as celebrated their November birthdays.  On February 10, 1946, they married.  John and Kit lived in Berkeley where they were in the restaurant business for a few months, then they moved to Los Angeles where they attended Los Angeles City College and UCLA.  In January 1950, John completed the requirements for a BA in Mathematics as well as a minor in Astronomy/Physics.  During their schooling both John and Kit worked nights and during vacations.  John worked in a steel mill for several months before getting a job at an aircraft factory as a Tech Writer because of the Recession.  Then in 1952 the family moved to Shasta County where John began his career as a Teacher.  His first assignment was a one room school in a logging camp with grades 1st to 8th.  After a year John began teaching in French Gulch in the same school that he attended at the start of his schooling.  In 1957 the family moved to Napa and he began teaching in Vallejo.  He taught everything from Kindergarten through the 6th grade as well as remedial reading at the Junior High level and Adult Education in Mathematics.   During this time, he earned an MA in Education with an emphasis on Statistics.  In 1983 John retired after teaching 31 years.

John and his family enjoyed camping.  First with a tent and then a camper.  He and Kit enjoyed traveling.  They visited East Africa and took many cruises to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska and Mexico.  Then in 1984 they purchased a motorhome and spent several months each year either in the mountains or desert.

John is survived by two daughters, Leigh C. Halvorsen of Ukiah, CA, and Carey Anne Carter of Rohnert Park, CA, and a son and daughter-in-law, Scott H. & Kathryn S. Carter of Napa, CA, a friend who was like a daughter to him, Sarah Hackett and his beloved cat, Target.  John was predeceased by his wife Kit.

Per John’s request, no services will be held.  Arrangements are under the direction of Tulocay Mortuary.  Words of sympathy may be sent to the family on-line at www.TULOCAYCEMETERY.ORG.  Memorial contributions are suggested to a charity of the donor’s choice.  Private Inurnment

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