On April 6, 2025, the Reverend Dr. Kenneth Eugene Carter, Jr, 90, of Tyler, Texas, passed into the loving arms of his Savior and Lord, whom he taught about and introduced others to for decades.
Ken was born in San Antonio, Texas, on February 18, 1935, to Kenneth E. Carter Sr. and Doris McAuliffe Carter. He and his younger sister, Camille, were lifelong buddies and “partners in crime” during their childhood. Ken graduated from Carter-Riverside High School in Fort Worth, Texas in 1953, where he had been a cheerleader all four years, captain of the ROTC program, president of both the Allied Youth Society, and the Jr. Red Cross. He entered The Rice Institute, now Rice University, in 1953, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1958. While serving on the student council at Rice, he met the beautiful lady and vice president of the freshman class, who would become his lifetime partner and wife, Mary Alice “Freddie” Frederick. They were married on Valentine's Day, 1955, and recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Ken and Freddie were blessed with a daughter, Kathy, and a son, Buddy.
Upon graduation from Rice, Ken entered the Army as an officer in the Corps of Engineers, eventually obtaining the rank of first lieutenant. He served for two years in Mineral Wells, Texas, as an executive officer and later as a commanding officer of Headquarters Company. He remained in the Army Reserve for two years while he began a career with Ford Motor Company, Dallas, in the Junior Executive Program. He excelled while at Ford and received a series of promotions while there. However, in 1962, Ken felt called to the ministry by God while attending a church retreat. He then left Ford and entered seminary at Perkins School of Theology at SMU. At this time, he was serving as youth minister at Kirkwood Methodist Church in Irving, Texas. Next, he was appointed pastor of Wheatland Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, while still pursuing his theology degree. Ken graduated from SMU in 1965, receiving a Bachelor of Divinity, with Honors. He pastored at Wheatland for almost five years, watching attendance grow from 177 to 400 members.
In 1967, Ken was appointed senior pastor of First United Methodist Church (FUMC), Carrollton, Texas. Soon after, Ken and Freddie had the opportunity to travel to Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida to receive training in a new evangelism outreach program called “Evangelism Explosion (EE).” They were critical in bringing this program to the North Texas area, and because of this evangelist outreach, literally thousands were reached for Christ and the church grew exponentially. Ken was a dynamic preacher with many recalling how fast he could talk, how beautifully he could tell a story, and how you always left feeling challenged and inspired. Ken was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky, in 1982 in recognition of his work in evangelism.
After 16 years at FUMC, Ken retired from the ministry and pursued positions with A.L. Williams as regional vice president, and later with Resource Services, Inc (RSI), a company which implements fundraising campaigns for church building programs. He was a senior vice president with RSI. Both these positions allowed Ken to use the business talents he had gained at Rice. The position with RSI was particularly meaningful as he focused on what he loved best – the result of evangelism – the need for church growth and funding of church building campaigns. Ken retired from RSI in 2000, and Ken and Freddie divided their time between their beloved Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and Holly Lake Ranch, Texas. Both were avid golfers, and they loved spending time with family and friends and maintained their close ties to the church. Ken most enjoyed telling whoever would listen about Jesus, including every caregiver in the hospital in recent weeks!
Ken no doubt accomplished much in his 90 years, but he would tell you his greatest accomplishments are his 70-year marriage, his two children and their families, his numerous friendships, and all who came to know or deepen their faith in the Lord through something he shared. A very long obituary boils down to one word… JESUS!
Ken is predeceased by his parents, Kenneth E. “Nick” Carter, Sr. and Doris McAuliffe Carter and his sister, Camille Staples and her husband, Bill.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Mary Alice “Freddie” Carter; daughter, Dr. Kathryn Allyson Carter; son, Kenneth E. “Buddy” Carter, III (wife, Lori McAmis Carter); grandsons, Joshua (DeenaRae), Samuel (Haley), Benjamin (Kait); great-grandchildren, Noah, Grae, Myles, Eli, Wade, Charlie and one more only a few days away. He is also survived by nieces, Vickie Hoppensteadt (Walt), Karen Buell (Carter), Kim DuBose, and nephews, Chuck (Elaine) Frederick and Mike (Theresa) Frederick.
A burial service will be held on Wednesday, April 16 at 3:00 p.m. at Holly Tree Cemetery in Hawkins, Texas. Come casual and feel free to represent his beloved Dallas Cowboys if desired.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 17 at Green Acres Baptist Church Chapel, Tyler, Texas, with a reception immediately following.
*All obituaries are submitted by family and friends of the deceased.
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