Lt. Col. Raymond E. Carter

AUBURN ­- Lt. Col. Raymond E. Carter, 87, of Lansing Street. Auburn, passed away Monday, Oct. 20, 2008, at Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, following a brief battle with esophageal cancer. Born on April 4, 1921 to the late Raymond and Irene Baker Carter, Ray graduated from Auburn High School in 1939 and attended Butler University in Indiana. He retired from both the U.S. Postal Service and the Air Force. Ray served during World War II as a B-24 pilot in the Southwest Pacific with a group called the "Jolly Rogers," flying for the 319th Squadron, 90th Heavy Bomber Group. He later taught students to fly. During his life, he was very active in church activities, as an usher and past member of the Holy Name Society and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He also served as secretary of the NALC and was a member of the American Legion in Auburn. Ray is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mildred Klonowski Carter; his daughter, Barbara J. Giltner, and his son Raymond Thomas Carter, both of Auburn; two granddaughters, Nicole A. Giltner, of Auburn, and Kristine G. Goetz, of Fort Myers, Fla.; and his great-grandson, Marcus Raymond Giltner, of Auburn. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, in St. Alphonsus Church. Burial with military honors will be at St. Joseph"s Cemetery, Fleming. Friends may visit with his family from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at the White Chapel Funeral Home Inc., 197 South St., Auburn. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Joseph"s School, 89 E. Genesee St., Auburn, or Tyburn Academy, 17 Clymer St., Auburn, in memory of Raymond Carter. To send a message to the family, sign our guest book at www.auburnpub.com and click on obituaries.