Melvin Mack "Mickey" Carter
Marriages
Joyce Westphal
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel6 page 6A Obituary - October 24, 2018
Melvin Mack Carter October 26, 1940 - October 21, 2018
Melvin Mack Carter, age 77, died on October, 21, 2018, his long war with cancer finally ended. Melvin Mack may have been his given name, but if you knew him, you know he never went by it. He was and will always be: Mickey Carter. Born on October 26, 1940, he fought tooth-and-nail (true to his nature) to make it to his 78th birthday. Though five days shy, he remained a force of nature until his last breath. His first breath came in the home of his parents, Walter Phoenix and Agnes Pauline Carter, in Colorado City, Texas. Appropriate to the place of his birth, he lived his full life between those two places: Colorado and Texas. Mickey graduated Childress High in Childress, Texas, where all knew him as "a hell of a (base) ball player." A major league prospect out of high school, Mickey chose family over career, becoming a long-haul truck driver to provide a stable income for his young family. He remained in that career for 41 years. Mickey remained a member of the Masons for over 50 years. He also served as a Catholic Outreach volunteer where he worked with those of low socio-economic status, and was a member of Faith Heights Church. Mickey lived as a man who never met a stranger. "Mickey Carter, glad to meetcha," he’d say as he introduced himself to someone standing in a long line at the grocery store, or to a fellow hiker on the trail at Colorado National Monument, or waiting at an airline terminal for the rest of his family to make it through security. Always greeting people in his signature way, "Mickey Carter" burst from his mouth as his workingman’s hand extended for a firm handshake. "Glad to meetcha," followed without a pause in his old American accent - neither southern nor western, simply direct and slightly high-toned, like a radio announcer. He never said "meet you" - too formal for a blue collar man who already knew you, though you didn’t realize it yet. He ran it together the way you do in familiar company: meetcha. And always chased it with a smile. This greeting - direct, friendly, firm, searching for connection - provides the clearest summation of a complex man who sought the bright side of life, even as things appeared their dimmest. The breadth and depth of his life exceed these wanting words. Mickey always had a heart for the disaffected. His work with unsheltered people, clamoring to rise from their condition, displayed this heart more than anything. He enjoyed nature and a long road trip, so long as he could be accompanied by one of his wire-haired terriers. His dogs, Boo, Kiwi, and Rags, went everywhere with him. A neighbor aptly observed upon his passing how, "there will be a lot of lucky, happy dogs in heaven who are going to get a lot of love from Mickey." Undoubtedly, they are eating out of his hand right now. Mickey is preceded in death by his parents; seven brothers, and brother-in-law, Doug Hill. He is survived by his spouse, Joyce Westphal; son, Chris Carter; daughters, Tammy (James) Denton and Jennifer (Chip) Parker; sister, Peggy Hill; 14 grandchildren; 16 greatgrandchildren, and his good friend of over 40 years, Rod Lundeby. Memorial services will be held at a later date. Please consider making a memorial contribution in Mickey’s name to HopeWest Hospice, 3090B N. 12th St., Grand Junction, CO 81506. Even if you never knew Mickey Carter, know he was already "glad to meetcha."
