John Gordon Carter

1962 - 2019

John Gordon Carter

John Gordon Carter, age 55, passed away suddenly of a pulmonary embolism on June 20, 2018 at his home in Bellevue, WA. John was born August 9, 1962, in Seattle, WA to James and Janet (Neelin) Carter.

John was the oldest of four children, having three siblings Mary, David, and Howard. John's early years were spent in Lake Forest Park where he attended elementary school through 4th grade. The family then moved to New Providence, NJ for the next 3 years. In 1975 they moved to Bothell, WA where John finished his primary education, graduating in 1980 from Bothell High School. Upon graduation from high school, John attended the University of Washington where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration / Marketing in 1985. During his time at UW, he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity where he made many lifelong friends. In 1987, John received his MBA in marketing from Duke University Fuqua School of Business, graduating in the top 10%.

John's career began in Chicago with Leo Burnett, one of the world's leading ad agencies, where he first managed accounts for major brands including McDonalds and Keebler. He then moved to Denmark where he managed McDonalds Denmark and Switzerland accounts. In 1995 he moved back to the Seattle area where he was a partner in Monaghan and Carter Marketing consulting. From 1999 to 2010 John worked for Microsoft as Senior Director in Global Marketing Communications covering 31 countries. In 2011, he started what would be his final job at Hewlett Packard in Global Integrated Marketing Communications.

John's happy childhood included yearly summer trips to visit the Neelin farm in Killarney, Manitoba where he enjoyed time with his ten Canadian cousins, numerous vacations up and down the East coast while the family lived in New Jersey, and many summer days at the Whidbey Island family cabin. This is where John developed his lifelong passion of the Washington State Ferries. Later in life, John enjoyed traveling throughout the world, driving his prized BMW Z convertible on long adventures, Husky football, Duke basketball, spending time with his friends, and rarely missed a holiday or special gathering with his family. John adored his nieces and nephews and made time to attend many of their activities. Family and friends will remember John for being smart and kind, his gentle smile and twinkling eyes, his genuine love for his family and friends and his amazing knowledge and love of the WA State Ferries as well as vintage fighter planes from World War II. In addition, he had a constant and clever wit that never failed to surprise and entertain, while creating countless stories and anecdotes.

John is survived by his parents, Janet and James Carter, siblings Mary (Brian) Mooers, David (Kim) Carter, Howard Carter, and his nieces and nephews Eric, Sally, Dylan, Carlena, Allison.