Obituary: Jerry Carter

Jerry Carter, 88, passed away at the Hospice Care Center in Longview, Wash., on March 1, 2021. He was born on Sept. 5, 1932, in Buena, Wash. Jerry spent his early years in the Yakima Valley, where his first “job” was picking hops in the Yakima Valley orchards. In fifth grade, he moved to White Salmon, Wash., where he finished his education while living with his grandmother. Jerry joined the Navy in January 1951 and completed basic training in Great Lakes, Ill. Jerry served as a deckhand on various Navy ships including a year traveling the world during the Korean War.

His first job after coming home was working on The Dalles Dam addition as a carpenter. When that job came to an end, he went to work for his Uncle Howard Henderson’s logging outfit in White Salmon. He started out setting chokers and was a hard worker. For entertainment, Jerry would go to the Saturday night dances and it was there he met his future wife, Mary Pezzeti. They married on July 24, 1955, and three children soon followed. Jerry worked in the woods for a few years until a job opened up at SD&S mill in Bingen, Wash. He worked his way up from a yarder operator. After six years, Jerry and Mary bought five acres a half-mile north of the Wind River Market where they built a nice home, along with a big shop. Jerry then started his own logging business, which he named Jerry Carter Co. The summer following the eruption of Mount St. Helens, Jerry’s company went to work opening roads that were blocked by ash. Jerry worked on the mountain for four years, putting in Bailey bridges.