George Carter, 88, of Waterloo - formerly of Stanley, Oelwein, and Independence - passed away on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo. Visitation will be from 3:00-5:00 PM on Sunday, November 4, and from 9:30-11:00 AM on Monday, November 5, both at Stanley Union Church in Stanley. Funeral Services will then begin at 11:00 AM. Interment will be in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens at Hazleton. A memorial fund has been established.
George Thomas Carter was born April 29, 1930, in Girard, Illinois, to parents Steve Samuel D. and Lovie (Scifers) Carter. He attended school in Litchfield, Illinois, before serving his country honorably in the United States Army, ages 17-19. On August 7, 1949, George was united in marriage with Betty Lou Brown in Denver, Colorado. After a few years as a welder at Caterpillar Tractor Company, Peoria, Illinois, George became a longtime farmer in rural Stanley, retiring in 2008. George was a member of Iowa Pork Producers and had been a member of Faith Baptist Church in Oelwein.
Everyone who knew George recognized him as a smart, innovative businessman who built a reputable hog-and-grain farming corporation with his hard-work ethic and strong leadership. Meanwhile, those closest to him also knew him to be a lover of children, a reader, an intelligent and self-taught innovator, a lover of history and geography, a generous giver of time and finances, and one who focused his interest and resources on guiding and helping those he loved!
Left to celebrate George’s life is his wife Betty of Waterloo; his son and daughter-in-law, Steve and JoAnn Carter of Red Rock, Arizona; his daughter-in-law Susan Gonterman of Independence; his grandchildren: Deborah, Pamela, Timothy, Matthew, Kristin, Anthony, Jeremy, Michael and Kathleen; his great-grandchildren: Maya K., Benjamin, Joseph, Liliana, Naomi, Layla, Fiona and Zadok; his brothers: Dave Carter of Springfield, Illinois, Bill Carter of Pekin, Illinois and Harold Carter of Rockford, Illinois; his sister Lois Benson of Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Also, three sisters-in-law and numerous nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his son Mike Carter, four brothers, and two sisters.
