Raymond Carter Obituary

Former Durango resident Raymond Lloyd Carter died of leukemia Tuesday, July 13, 2010, in Denver. He was 70.

Mr. Carter was born to Raymond Oliver and Viola Dahlberg Moran Carter on Aug. 20, 1939, in McAllen, Texas. Times were

hard when Mr. Carter was growing up because his father died when he was 4, and his mother raised him and his two

siblings in South Texas by herself. Mr. Carter dropped out of high school to help support his family.

When he was 27, Mr. Carter moved to Colorado and went into the car business, working for Hover Ford in Denver in the

1960s. He transferred to O'Meara Ford Center, where he was promoted to general sales manager and met his future wife,

Sharon O'Meara.

The couple married on June 5, 1972, in Las Vegas.

After their marriage, the Carters moved to Alamosa, and Mr. Carter opened his first car dealership, Ray Carter Motor

Co., where he sold a number of models including Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, AMC, Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge. Mr. Carter

opened a second dealership, Economy Datsun, in Salida with Monte Roder in 1982. Three years later, Mr. Carter sold

the dealership in Alamosa and moved Economy Datsun to Durango, where he renamed it Economy Nissan. He retired in

1995. In 2006, he sold the dealership to Roder, who had been with him since 1973. The Carters moved to Denver in 1995

after Mr. Carter's retirement.

Mr. Carter served as the president of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association and was a member of its legislative

committee. He was chairman of the Alamosa County March of Dimes, a director of the Alamosa Chamber Development Corp.

and a member of the Adams State Athletic Foundation. He was a member of Rotary clubs in Alamosa, Durango and Denver.

"Ray was a man of honesty and integrity" his family wrote. "He didn't go with the status quo if it wasn't the right

thing to do. He also hated small-town politics and the belief 'that's how it's always done,' so he ran for mayor of

Alamosa just to stir things up. He was quite happy he didn't win, but just running for office made a difference."

In retirement, Mr. Carter loved to play gin rummy at the country club. His family said he won more than he lost, and

the only reason the other members let him play was because they hoped he would be their partner. They affectionately

called him "the commissioner."

Mr. Carter also played golf and loved the Broncos.

Mr. Carter's family said that while he lived in Colorado for more than 40 years, when he was with another Texan, his

accent would come right back.

Mr. Carter was preceded in death by his son Travis Carter.

He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Sharon O. Carter, of Denver; son Darren Carter of Denver; daughters Fallon

Carter of Denver and Kimberly Carter of Los Angeles; sister, Janis Sheeley, of Greeley; one granddaughter; and

numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 21, 2010, at Cherry Hills Country Club, 4125 S. University

Blvd. in Cherry Hills Village.

Memorial donations may be sent to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 5353 W. Dartmouth Ave., Suite 4400, Denver, CO

80227.