Tom was born in Dallas, Texas, to Burnett Tom Carter, Sr. and Mamie Ruth Riddle Carter on May 16, 1944. He was a Navy veteran (1964 to 1968) and served in the Pacific during the Vietnam War. After honorably concluding his Navy service, he entered college, graduating from The University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. He married Donna Rae Miller on August 17, 1968, in Fort Worth, Texas. They had met six years prior to their wedding, on a blind date arranged by friends in late 1962.
After graduating from North Texas, Tom started his career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) working for Ernst & Ernst. From there, he began a distinguished corporate career that would last over 40 years. In the 1970s and 1980s, Tom worked his way up the corporate ladder with a series of Dallas-based technology firms, serving as Chief Financial Officer for Wyly Corporation, Docutel, University Computing Corporation and UCCEL. Building and growing companies was in Tom’s blood. He eventually took the CEO reins, owning and operating his own businesses, including HydroChem Industrial Services and Barnett Well Services.
Tom is preceded in death by his parents, Burnett Tom Carter, Sr. and Mamie Ruth Riddle Carter. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Donna Carter and their children and families: Blake (Deborah) Carter, Derek Carter, and Wendy (Jason) Middlebrook. Six grandchildren will miss him dearly: Zachary and Gabriella Carter, Daniel and Ainsley Carter, and Rylan and Truett Middlebrook. Tom’s two sisters, Teresa (Luther) King and Janice (Ed) Wueste, and several nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family members from the Carter, Miller, and Riddle families also mourn his loss.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, October 26, at 12:00pm at Sparkman-Hillcrest in Dallas.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Liver Foundation.
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