Robert 'Bob' Shields Carter

HOLDEN - Robert Shields “Bob” Carter, 88, of Holden, formerly of Harwich and Fairfield, CT, passed away, Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester surrounded by his loving family.  Bob was born July 16, 1929 to the late Maynard and Rosalie Carter in Weymouth.  He was predeceased by his brother, Maynard, his sister-in-law, Clare and his cousin and best friend, Tom Shields.
Bob will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 51 years, June (Phillips) Carter and their children: Daniel Carter of Stamford, CT, Dawn Trenchard and her husband Mark of Franklin, Randal Carter and his wife Linda Bieling of Trumbull, CT, Jayme Bepko and her husband Daniel of Milton, GA, Allison Labovitz and her husband Charles of Holden and Kerry Bergeron and her husband Wade of Holden.
He also leaves his 15 grandchildren of whom he was extremely proud: Rose Mackin, Vincent Carter S.S.G. 5th SFG, Taylor and Kendall Trenchard, Shannon and Jack Bepko, Caroline, Elizabeth, Jacqueline, Katherine and Andrew Labovitz and Carter, Brooke, Fallon and Avery Bergeron.
Bob graduated from Weymouth High School in 1947 and Bridgewater State College in 1951.  He was a veteran of the United States Navy.  After his honorable discharge from the Navy, he taught for Weymouth Schools until 1956 when he entered the paper products business.  After a lengthy and successful career, he retired as Divisional Director of Sales with Georgia Pacific Corporation in 1987.  After his retirement from corporate sales, he operated The Carter Group, a business brokerage firm.  Subsequently, he sold real estate in Fairfield, CT and then in Harwich where he resided for eight years before moving to Holden.
Civic responsibility was a major focus of Bob’s.  He was elected to be a member and Chairman of the Democratic Town Committee in Weymouth.  The same year he was a Delegate to the Democratic State Convention.  Additionally, he was elected to Weymouth’s Board of Selectman serving as its Chairman, was the Commissioner of the Weymouth Redevelopment Authority and Chairman of Laban Pratt Fund Trustees at which time he was instrumental in having a fifty-bed wing added to the South Shore Hospital.
For the 25 years he lived in Fairfield, Bob relentlessly gave back to his community, and for 20 of those years, he served as an Eucharistic Minister at St. Pius X Church. He was on the Board of Directors of the Fairfield County Cerebral Palsy Association and Director and Vice President of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.  In turn, he served as President of the Bridgeport’s Toastmasters Club and was a member of the Fairfield Democratic Town Committee.
Upon retiring to Harwich, Bob’s life remained distinguished by the contributions he made there as well.  He was a member of the Harwich School Committee, the Democratic Town Committee, President of the Harwich Men’s Club, President of the Nauset/Chatham Lions Club and Director of the Cape Cod Collaborative.  It was also during this time that he was a Director and President of Bridgewater State College’s Alumni Association, Trustee of the Bridgewater State College Foundation and sat on the Board of Trustees of the college.
In an effort to be geographically closer to his family, Bob and June moved to Holden in 2007 and became a parishioner of St. Mary's Church in Jefferson.  Although his life in Holden primarily revolved around his children and grandchildren, he still found the time to be an elected member of the Wachusett Regional School Committee.  In 2010, Bob received the “Life Time Achievement Award” from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.
Above all his personal and professional achievements, Bob was most proud of his family.  He was a devoted husband and father and wore the title of “Grampy” and “Boppy” better than any other.  He will be remembered by his wife, children, grandchildren and friends for his good nature, sense of humor, his wonderful, Irish wit, but most of all for how well he loved us all.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Bob's family from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, January 19, at the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden, and again at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 20, before leaving in procession to St. Mary's Church, 114 Princeton St., Jefferson, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m.  Burial will be held privately at St. Mary's Cemetery in Canton.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Francis House, P.O. Box 120499, Essex Station, Boston, MA 02112-0499; or St. Mary's Church, P.O. Box 2200, Jefferson, MA 01522.