Martha Ann McDowell Carter

Martha Ann (McDowell) Carter, 85, of Spartanburg, SC, died December 23, 2023, at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Hospice Home.  Born May 21, 1938, in Madison, GA, she was the daughter of the late Daniel McDowell and Martha Penick McDowell. She was a 1956 graduate of Morgan County High School in Madison, GA, and earned a degree in elementary education from the Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College) in 1959.

Martha Ann was a high school beauty queen who married her high school sweetheart in 1959.  She started as a teacher in Bostwick, GA, then following her marriage in 1959 and the move to Spartanburg, SC, taught for a while at Pine Street Elementary School and tutored adults in reading. She was a member at different points in her life of the Spartanburg Christian Women’s Club and the Green Blades Garden Club. For many years, Martha Ann was an active member of Fernwood Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School, helped with Vacation Bible School, and was the church librarian for 30 years. Her friendships built through Fernwood Baptist and the Alma Hudson Sunday School class are some of the most important and enduring she has had, and the family thanks her extended Fernwood family.

As a mother, she was a proud and active supporter of her boys throughout their Scouting, sporting, and educational, and professional experiences.  She and Ken had been campers their whole lives together, starting with tents, then small campers, and eventually becoming Winnebago enthusiasts in retirement, travelling with the Palmetto Winnebago State Club.  She and Ken also travelled to Georgia Tech football games for as long as they were physically able to do so. She enjoyed watching her grandchildren grow up, and although they are scattered from Georgia to California, was proud of each for the ways they are beginning to impact the world.

Following Ken’s death in March 2020, Martha Ann moved to Eden Terrace Assisted Living in Spartanburg, where she enjoyed the care of a great staff, and the companionship of a wonderful group of new friends.

Martha Ann was predeceased by her husband of 60 years Kenneth M Carter. Survivors include sons Steve Carter and his wife Pauline of Charlotte, NC and Jim Carter and his wife Christa of Thomasville, GA, and grandchildren Willow Carter of Littleton, CO, Dory Ann Carter of Los Angeles, CA, Louis Carter of Athens, GA, and Sam Carter of Thomasville, GA.

For friends and family in Georgia, a visitation will be held in Madison, GA at A.E. Carter Funeral Home on Friday December 29, 2023, at 2:00, followed by a graveside service in Madison City Cemetery, Madison, GA.

For friends in the Carolinas, a joint memorial service for Martha Ann and Ken (who passed away March 13, 2020) will be held Saturday, January 6, at 2:00 in the sanctuary at Fernwood Baptist Church, 200 Fernwood Dr., Spartanburg, SC.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either the Eden Terrace Employee Fund, 2780 E Main St, Spartanburg, SC 29307 or Fernwood Baptist Church PO Box 7058, Spartanburg, SC 29304.  Please send any notes or cards for the family to Steve Carter, 3222 Symphony Woods Dr., Charlotte, NC, 28269.