Warren Holbrook Carter

Warren Holbrook Carter died peacefully on March 13, 2016, in Oak Harbor, at age 90. His daughter Nina was at his bedside as he passed.

Daughter Nina Lee Carter and her husband Dr. Thomas B. Rainey, of Olympia, survive Warren. Warren was born in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 8, 1925.

His parents, Robert H. Carter and Alice P. Carter Forrester, and his wife, Doris “Dee” Carter, preceded him in death.

Warren descended from the Holbrook Whidbey Island pioneer family. His direct ancestors, Captain Richard B. Holbrook and Harriet Low Sylvester Holbrook, settled a donation land claim on Penn Cove in the 1850s. Warren grew up in Los Angeles, but during his childhood spent many happy summers with his pioneer family on Penn Cove, especially with his uncle Horace Holbrook.

Warren joined the U.S. Navy in 1941. He served on a Destroyer Escort that was part of the massive fleet off of Normandy Beach in June 1944; later he took part in the Korean Conflict from 1950-53. He served in the Navy, mostly in the Pacific, at first as a sonarman, and then as an electronics mate for 20 years. He retired as a senior chief petty officer in 1963.

After retirement, Warren worked for seven years in Switzerland, Europe and the Middle East as an electronics and communications technician and designer for several international companies. Upon his return to the United States, he worked for Litton Industries Corporation, designing and installing communication systems in the Middle East and Africa. He and his wife Dee retired to Whidbey Island in 1982, where he lived for the remainder of his life.

He was a lifelong ham radio enthusiast (W6VIG) and belonged to the Island County Amateur Radio Club. Warren also built telescopes with handmade parabolic mirrors, loved architecture and carpentry and enjoyed playing bridge, traveling and photography. He designed and built part of his home on Arnold Road near Oak Harbor. His wife Dee created and tended to large flower gardens on their property until her death in 2011.

Warren was very proud of his Whidbey Island pioneer heritage and his Navy service. He spent many of his later years as a much-loved character in downtown Coupeville.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Summer Hill Assisted Living Community and his many friends in the area, particularly Marci, Margery and Margaret who made sure he was well-fed and taken care of during his frequent “inspection tours” of downtown Coupeville. A graveside memorial service will be held in May 2016 at the Sunnyside Cemetery in Coupeville.