Dan Carter

Some people live more in 60 years than others do in 90. It is not the time that matters it is the person, and my father really knew how to live.

This picture was taken on a recent trip through the Southwest prior to his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Dad and I drove through five states (four of which he is standing in here) with only a rough agenda. Following the directions on a roadside billboard in New Mexico, we made our way to an underground mining museum where he reminisced about his days working in the mines in Wyoming.

We talked about the funny way life has of taking you places you never thought you would go. He told me how proud he was of my brother and me, and how he couldn’t wait to call Mom and tell her about our day. It was at once a special day, and a typical one, for a man who never wasted a moment.

Dad spent his last days at home in a room with a panoramic view of the harbor, Mt. Baker and the Cascades. From his bed he supervised the President’s Day planting of sugar snap peas in his garden and kept an eye on the eagle traffic. He had a chance to talk to many of the people who shared his life and always managed to leave them laughing.

He filled the lives of those around him with love and laughter and we will never stop missing him.

Join us in celebrating Dan’s life 2 p.m., Saturday, March 8 at First Reformed Church. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Skagit Valley College Foundation in support of the Carter Friends and Family Scholarship Fund.

Friends and family are encouraged to share memories and condolences utilizing the Book of Memories hosted by Wallin Funeral Home at