Robert “Bob” Elledge Carter, 89, of Huntsville, Alabama passed away unexpectedly May 23rd. He was born June 1st, 1933, in Shelbyville, Indiana. During High School, Bob obtained an Eagle Scout Award and was a member of the Order of the Arrow. He served in the US Army during the Korean War. He received his Bachelors of Aeronautical Engineering degree from the University of Florida, and one week later married Agnes Mae Crayton on August 15, 1959. He had many accomplishments in his career. He worked on the B70 bomber and F108 jet aircraft in California then moved to Florida where he was employed as a Rocket Propulsion Engineer working on the first Liquid Hydrogen Rocket Engine. He moved back to California to work at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co where he completed his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Santa Clara in 1968. Shortly after receiving his masters, Bob moved with his family to Huntsville, Alabama where he worked at Lockheed and Marshall Space Flight Center as a Research Engineer. Here he worked as the Book Manager for the first Hubble Space Telescope Systems Description Handbook.
Bob retired in 1990 where his artistic passions flourished. He was truly a Renaissance Man. He obtained an Associate Science degree in Cabinet Making and Millwork. His wife, Aggie, gave him as a retirement gift, admission to a six week program to learn how to carve carousel animals at the Horsing Around Carving School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He has since then created many large-scale carousel animals from Baby, the lion; Savannah, the giraffe; and Gypsy, the horse; and smaller sized carved animals and caricatures.
Bob is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Agnes Carter; his sister, Joan Ring; his children, Sue Schumann (Rod), Robert and Alec (Jean Ann); grandchildren, Anna (Stuart), Alan (Ashleigh), Gordon (Oleander), Brooke, Trey, Andrew, Christian, and Katie; and great-grandchild, Connor. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Elledge and Vera, and his sister, Nancy.
Bob was loved and will be remembered by his friends and family. As his catch phrase would go, he will always and forever be “doin’ wonders and spittin’ cucumbers”.
Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 27th at Laughlin Service Funeral Home. The memorial service will immediately follow in the chapel.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Spina Bifida Foundation of Alabama, 1717 6th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35233 (www.sbaofal.org).
