Samuel Brent Carter's Obituary
Samuel Brent Carter, age 55 passed away in his home in Tacoma, WA on March 10, 2017 a little after 6:00 pm from a long time battle with cancer. Funeral services will be held at the Mountain View Funeral Home in Lakewood, WA on Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 2pm. We will have services in the chapel and the pastor that will be speaking is our neighbor and friend, Mr. Bill Hutton. Then we will move on to the reception area for refreshments and reminiscing.
Samuel was born in Durham, NC on August 18, 1961 to his predeceased mother, Jo Anna Klaassen and his predeceased father, he never knew, Larry Carter. Now Brent loved Dunkin Donuts coffee, country ham biscuits, Eastern North Carolina barbecue pork, his wife's collard greens, a good steak and some folks may remember him with a glass of Southern, homemade sweet tea in his hand. Brent loved his family, friends, and his yellow lab named “Beauregard”. He loved hobby trains and carpentry. Also, he loved his 67 Ford F100 pick-up truck. Besides money, he put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in that truck over the years. Some people knew him as “Big Sam”, maybe because he was 6’2” or because he had a deep belly laugh or his charismatic presence. When he wasn’t wearing Levis jeans with a t-shirt he was dressed in his military uniform. We always knew who was calling on the phone because his friends and family called him Brent and the Army called him Sam. Sergeant First Class Carter was an 88K40, Watercraft operator, and veteran of the Global War on Terrorism. His military career started in 1983 – 1999 as an Army Reservist and then from 1999 - 2016 as Army Active Guard Reservist. He received many plaques, coins, certificates and medals throughout his military career but many remember one of the certificates he successfully completed and received in 2001 that he so proudly displayed on his office wall…..Stress/Anger Management. He would always refer to it as his “warm and fuzzy” certificate. Now that’s another story.
Brent is survived by his wife, Victoria L. Carter, whom he met at Dunkin Donuts in Morehead City, NC one humid Saturday morning in August, 1998 and later married on January 30th, 2000. Together, their now adult children are Cynthia H. Schneider whom he adopted and her husband Christopher with their son Landon; Lessie L. McClung, his daughter from his first marriage and her husband Zach with their son Gabriel; and his son, Rhone Gore, who came into his father’s life at the age of 22. He is survived by his only sibling, Lisa Barnes. Those who knew Brent best knew he was lucky to have lived as long as he did. At the age of 3, during a normal North Carolina sibling argument, Lisa ended the conversation with Brent by delivering a hammer blow to the noggin.
Regardless of how you knew him, he managed to leave a lasting impression on your life. Brent is loved and he will be missed by many. Brent is no longer in pain, instead he is at peace.
What’s your fondest memory of Samuel?
What’s a lesson you learned from Samuel?
Share a story where Samuel's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Samuel you’ll never forget.
How did Samuel make you smile?