Memorial Gifts & Donations
Peggy Davis Carter, beloved mother of two and devoted spouse, passed away on Monday, October 9 at 1:30pm. She was 81 years of age. Peggy passed peacefully, surrounded by her husband, sons, loved ones and extended family.
Peggy Laverne Davis was born on March 21, 1942 to Penninah Parrish in Harnett County, North Carolina. She was the youngest of three siblings, preceded by sisters Nancy and Carolyn, all of whom were raised by Penninah Parrish and stepfather Horace Duke, in Louisburg, North Carolina. In 1960 Peggy graduated from Edward Best High School in Louisburg, and then attended East Carolina University. At ECU she was an active member of Delta Zeta sorority and graduated with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in fields of English and History. It was outside the university library, where she spent much of her time, that Peggy also made the acquaintance of her future husband James Harold Carter, with whom she would be married on December 26, 1963. They were married sixty years.
After leaving ECU, Peggy and Harold moved to Camp Pendleton, CA, while Harold served in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to military conflict in Viet Nam. After his return, they moved to Wilmington, NC where Peggy worked as a middle school English teacher for several years before relocating to Raleigh, where she continued teaching middle school English at Daniels Middle School (renamed Oberlin Magnet Middle School, in 2020). Peggy pursued a Master of Arts in Education at North Carolina State University before the birth of her first son in 1975, followed by the birth of her second son in 1977. Returning to professional life, she joined her husband as co-manager of J.H. Carter Builder, Inc., where Peggy worked as a skilled interior designer and businessperson for the next forty years.
Peggy was known for her warmth of character and peals of laughter, her deep Christian faith and spiritual compass, for treasuring friendships whether newly emergent or cultivated across many decades. Perhaps more than anything, Peggy’s life was nourished and guided by the enduring and inexhaustible fellowship of her community at Millbrook United Methodist Church whose mission she embraced and served since joining as a member in 1969.
Peggy was preceded in death by her mother, stepfather, her eldest sister Nancy Robbins, and brother-in-law Jack Robbins. She is survived by her husband James Harold Carter; her two sons Jon Horne Carter and Daniel Davis Carter; daughters-in-law Christina Verano Carter and Jennifer Strain Carter; grandchildren Brielle June Carter, Emery Jayne Carter, and Adrian Laurel Sornito-Carter.
Services will be held at 1:00 P.M. on October 26th, 2023 at Millbrook United Methodist Church located at 1712 E Millbrook Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609.
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Wilmington Funeral & Cremation 1535 S. 41st Street, Wilmington, NC 28403 910-791-9099.
A recent photo with Peggy and my mom with Harold in the background sharing a sweet moment of tenderness. You will be cherished in our hearts as someone who always knew how to help us feel at home in ourselves.