Michael John Carter

Michael (Mick) was born on November 7th 1938 in Leicester England to Amy and John Carter. Soon after Mick was born his father was conscripted in the army and left to fight for England in North Africa. Michael’s mother was left to look after Mick with the help of her extended family. Mick and his mother shared a very close and loving bond and the values she instilled in him remained with him his entire life.

Michael’s father returned from the war and the reunited family settled down in Braunstone Leicester. Mick did well in school and was admitted to grammar school for the final years of his education. Sadly Amy passed away suddenly when Michael was just sixteen. He and his dad made a go of it alone until John married his second wife Lena. She moved in with them and quickly became a loving and supportive step mother to Mick. Soon Mick had the joy of welcoming a sister to the family when Dawn was born. At this time Mick was growing increasingly ambitious and was eager to get out and see more of the world and he began a career that shaped the course of the rest of his life.

Mick signed on to become a roving bank manager in Ghana working for the Bank of British West Africa in the early sixties. Mick left for Ghana and worked all over the country travelling from town to town. Africa was a formative experience for Michael. He acquired his lifelong passion for tennis there, he began travelling extensively in the leaves his work afforded, and he met his future wife Kathleen Crossley of Red Deer Alberta there. They married in Braunstone in 1967. Timothy, their first son, was born in 1971 and Christopher, their second boy, was born in 1973.

The family moved back to England in the mid-seventies for Michael to start a new job in London working with the Bank Of Montreal. But soon Mick chased down the chance to work in Singapore. The family arrived there Christmas 1978. Michael spent nearly a decade in that wonderful country and explored the entire south East Asian region while there.

By the mid 80s, with the boys settled in school in England, Michael and Kathy moved to America, working in New York City and living in Connecticut. Michael relished the last two decades of his career in the big city and became an American citizen. As he neared retirement Michael fulfilled a lifelong dream of getting a house near a lake in the country and bought a place on Buckhorn Lake near Peterborough, Ontario. Not too far from Toronto where both his children were now living and where all three of his grandchildren were soon to be born.

He retired there in 2003 and enjoyed almost two decades living in the country by the peaceful lake, kayaking, hiking, and meeting with friends. In the final years of his life Michael suffered from dementia. But he never lost his love and appreciation for simple pleasures of life – walking in the trees, watching the sun, or sitting by the fire with a cup of tea.

Michael John Carter is survived by his devoted wife, Kathleen Anne Carter, his loving sister Dawn, his sons Timothy and Christopher and their partners, and his grandchildren Gabriel, David, and Jacob. His memory will be cherished by all who knew him.

A visitation to celebrate his life will be held on Dec 8th, 2023, from 11 a.m. -1 p.m. with a Service to follow at 1 p.m. offering an opportunity for family and friends to pay their respects and honour his memory.