Emma Carr

CLEMSON – Emma Jeannette Carr of Clemson, South Carolina, was called home by our heavenly Father on April 1, 2019 after battling lung cancer. A fighter in every sense of the word, she never let this enemy destroy her will even as she survived two difficult bouts of breast cancer a number of years ago.

Born on September 5, 1939 in Loris, South Carolina to parents John Gary and Ada Pusser DeWitt, Jeannette was the devoted wife of a career Air Force officer, a loving mother of two, a grandmother, sister, and beloved aunt to many. She will be remembered for her contagious smile, talents in the kitchen and the kind words she had for all.

Emma Jeannette DeWitt graduated from Ellerbe High School in Ellerbe, North Carolina in 1958 and Charlotte Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1960. One night in the fall of 1960, she found herself as a “fill-in date” for a roommate, also named Jeannette, and, soon after, fell in love with an ambulance driver awaiting pilot training school. Jeannette and Chalmers R. “Hap” Carr, Jr. were married on April 7, 1962 and she accompanied him thru a thirty-year Air Force career that withstood numerous assignments across the United States, including Alaska. His career also took them overseas for tours of duty in Thailand and Australia.

Jeannette was a practicing nurse for 20 years as she journeyed through her service alongside Hap. In her role as an officer’s wife and then as a general officer’s wife, her southern charm was ever-present in her relationships with others. She was often a shoulder to lean on for many airmen’s wives resulting in lifelong friendships that have weathered the test of time and remain strong today. Jeannette has the distinction of having served as President of the Officer’s Spouse’s Club on a Naval Air Station due to husband, Hap’s distinction as an Air Force Exchange Officer with the Navy.

Thru it all gardening – growing fruits, vegetables and flowers, served as a source of refuge. In the early 1990’s, she loved selling peaches in Cherry Lake, Florida where her son and daughter-in-law began their farming career and she quickly developed a devoted customer base of peach buyers. Since 2001, each Saturday morning faithful customers could find their friend, Jeannette, at the Ridge Spring Farmer’s Market beside a flat-bed trailer overflowing with her garden vegetables along with peaches, and other items grown at Titan Farms. She treasured the relationships garnered thru selling fruits and vegetables regardless of where she was, and she was always “Queen of the Market”.

Jeannette is now reunited in heaven with her parents John Gary and Ada Pusser DeWitt, brothers Harry and Larry DeWitt, David H. DeWitt, Phillip G. DeWitt, John S. DeWitt, Edward L. DeWitt, and W. Steve DeWitt.

Jeannette’s memory is honored and celebrated by her husband of fifty-seven years Chalmers “Hap” Carr Jr., of Clemson; daughter, Martha Carr Pfeiffer of Greensboro, North Carolina, son and daughter-in-law Chalmers R. and Lori Anne Carr of Ridge Spring, South Carolina; granddaughters, Katherine Carr Pfeiffer, of Columbia, South Carolina and Carlyle Anne Carr, of Ridge Spring, South Carolina; and grandson Chalmers R. Carr, IV, of Ridge Spring South Carolina. She is also cherished and remembered by her best friend and sister, Anne (Raymond) Lomax and sisters-in-law Mabel, Susan, Sylvia and Jean Dewitt; along with many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Jeannette’s life will be held at Fort Hill Presbyterian Church, 101 Edgewood Avenue, Clemson, South Carolina on Sunday April 7, 2019 at 3:00 PM. The family will receive friends following the service in Tartan Hall at the church. In lieu of flowers, an endowment has been set up to support Jeannette’s love of vegetable gardening. Memorial gifts should be sent to: The Emma Jeannette Carr Memorial Endowment, Clemson University Foundation, P. O. Box 1889, Clemson, South Carolina 29633-9972.

Condolences may be expressed at www.RobinsonFuneralHomes.com or in person at Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, Central.