IRVINGTON—Barbara Spencer Carter, 93, of Irvington, formerly of Elkins, W.Va., beloved wife of Ernest W. “Nick” Carter for over 72 years, passed away peacefully on April 1, at Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury.
Born in Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1924, she was raised in Silver Spring, Md., along with her sister and four brothers. She was the oldest daughter of the late Louis B. and Minnie Hanold Spencer.
She was predeceased by her sister, Ruth Spencer Miller; her brothers, William John Spencer II, Louis B. Spencer Jr. and Richard H. Spencer; and her grandson, Andrew Carter Sloan.
In addition to her husband, Barbara is survived by her daughters, Denise Carter-O’Gorman (Stephen) of Cleveland, Ohio, Melanie Carter-Maguire (Frank) of White Stone, Lauren Carter Campbell (Kevin) of Brattleboro, Vt.; son Ernest W. (Tad) Carter III of New York, N.Y.; a brother, James C. Spencer of Silver Spring, Md.; and four grandchildren, Alison Weber Maguire of Philadelphia, Pa.; Katharine Carter O’Gorman of Cleveland, Ohio; Ian O’Keefe Campbell of San Diego, Calif., and Colin Spencer Campbell of Brattleboro, Vt.
Barbara graduated from Blair High School in Silver Spring. While a staff member for Maryland Senator George L. Radcliffe, Barbara attended Strayer Business College and Lacaze Academy of Languages in Washington, D.C. Following her work for Senator Radcliffe, she held several positions at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, including director of documents to the Second United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Convention in Copenhagen, Denmark.
In 1945, she married her best friend and high-school sweetheart Nick Carter and they relocated to Hamilton, N.Y., so Nick could finish his college studies at Colgate University.
While raising her children in Cleveland, Ohio, Barbara was an administrative assistant for the chemistry department at Case Western Reserve University. When the Carters relocated to Elkins, W.Va., she was asked by the president of Davis and Elkins College to become the office manager of the admissions office which she ran for 18 years.
In their 40 years in Elkins, Barbara was an active member of Grace Episcopal Church where she served in many capacities, including as a member of the vestry, member of the Episcopal Church Women, chair of the Centennial Committee and the Diocesan Women’s Ministries Team.
She started the West Virginia Table Ministries—an ambitious program that involves providing tables to needy families in homes where children did not have one for eating, studying, playing games, praying or reading, as Barbara believed that the table was the center of family life. As president of the Episcopal Church Women, she was honored for her commitment to God and “deep faith, pastoral practices, innovative programs, concern for active justice to all and humility in her journey with God.”
Barbara was also an active member of the Elkins community and served as president of the General Federation of Women’s Club of West Virginia, Rose Martin Unit of the National Association of Parliamentarians and many other local committees and organizations.
A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 9, at Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury, Irvington, where she lived for the last nine years.
A private burial and interment for family will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to Grace Episcopal Church in Elkins, 212 John Street, WV 26241; or Grace Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1059, Kilmarnock, VA 22482.
Currie Funeral Home LLC of Kilmarnock handled the arrangements.
