Jerry Allen Carter

Warsaw - Jerry Allen Carter was born to Henry and Dora Mae Carter on April 18, 1948 in Bowden NC where they raised him and his 7 siblings working on the family farm.

At the age of 18, Jerry enlisted in the US Army where he was assigned to Army Artillery 5th Battalion 83rd Division and did his basic training at Ft. Dixon New Jersey as a Field Wireman. He served in St. Louise MO as well as foreign soil in Germany for 1 1/2 years until his Honorable Discharge where he was transferred to Army Reserves until August 1968

Shortly after discharge, Jerry met Brenda Eaves and they on May 7, 1976 they were married and raised 2 sons, Joey and Ryan, in their family home in Warsaw where Jerry often volunteered with the Warsaw Recreation Department as a coach.

During his 31 years of marriage to Brenda, he was a tobacco farmer and later a carpenter along side 2 of his brothers. They were known as the Carter Brothers and if anyone needed any work done in the Warsaw area, they knew to call Jerry and his brothers. Although Jerry loved farming and carpentry, he still had another passion and that was still to serve his country in some capacity.
Jerry decided to join the Charles R Gavin Post 127 American Legion where he eventually became the Commander of the post until it closed its doors. Jerry was there every time the doors opened to do whatever needed to be done whether it was his job or not. He loved the American Legion and what it stood for but his real legacy came with The Warsaw Veteran’s Day Parade. The Warsaw Veteran’s Day Parade is the longest continuous running Veteran’s Day Parade in the nation. The parade started in 1921 and they celebrated their 104th parade in 2024. Each year, Jerry had quietly but efficiently been the Parade Committee’s Chairman for 30+ years which was 1/3 of the years the parade has been in existence. In his time as Chairman, the NC General Assembly not only adopted the parade as the longest consecutive Veteran’s Day Parade in the nation, they also named it as the “official” State Veteran’s Day Parade. As Chairman, Jerry’s responsibilities consisted of finding and lining up volunteers; leading and conducting scheduled meetings throughout each year; contacting civilian and military participants; scheduling the US Air Force flyovers to kick off each parade; vetting, contacting and organizing Grand Marshalls to lead parades, organizing the 100+ participants which largely consisted of the military because that’s what the Veteran’s Day Parade was all about…..honoring our current AND retired servicemen and their service to our country. Jerry worked tirelessly to make sure this parade accurately represented all branches of the military service and was something the community could come together to enjoy and be proud of. He could be seen every Veteran’s Day wearing his red, white and blue button up with white stars zooming his golf cart up and down the parade route to be sure everyone and everything was in order and flowing smoothly.
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When Jerry wasn’t working on his parade responsibilities, he could be found 1 of 2 places. If it was morning, he could be found coffee in hand, sitting at his booth at Warsaw Friendly Mart laughing and sharing any local happenings with his favorite “coffee buddies”. This group of men became more than just friends with this morning routine through the years….they became family that looked after each other. These men knew if Jerry wasn’t sitting in the booth when they got there, then something was wrong. If he wasn’t found at the Friendly Mart, you could usually find him warming “his” personal chair at Napa Parts store in Kenansville where he worked as a parts delivery man for approximately 7 years.

Throughout Jerry’s life, he was called by many names but one of his favorite was Pa and Pa Jerry by grandchildren, David, Payton, and Carly and his great grandchildren, Brody and Julia. He was a proud Pa who loved bragging on his family.

Jerry Allen Carter was definitely one of kind who was loved by many and will truly be missed. He had a heart to serve his community and country, and worked tirelessly to improve his community and country and for this, we are thankful for his love and lifetime of service.

A funeral service will be held 2:00 pm, Thursday, April 10, 2025 at Community Funeral Home of Warsaw, with burial to follow in Devotional Gardens. Visitation will be held at the home, 854 Blackmore Road, Warsaw, NC 28398.

Jerry is survived by sons, Joey Burgette and wife, Melissa of Four Oaks, Ryan Carter of Warsaw; grandchildren, David Wayne Burgette and wife, Christa, Payton Burgette and fiancé, Blake McMillan, and Carly Burgette; great grandchildren, Brody Burgette and Julia Burgette; sisters, Margaret Ann Bohn of New York and Dianne Blackburn of Goldsboro.

Jerry was preceded in death by wife, Brenda Eaves Carter, granddaughter, Lauren Grace Burgette, great grandson, Colton Burgette, brothers, Henry Ellis Carter, William "Dick" Carter, Ervin Carter, Danny Ray Carter; and sister, Betty Jane Holloman.

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