John Gerand Carriere

John Gerand Carriere, 81

John Gerand Carriere, 81, died suddenly on New Year's Day, exactly 51 years to the day of his first date with his loving wife Anne. The two were in New Mexico while making their way to spend the winter in Tuscon, Arizona. He was born in Martinez, California in 1934 to John G. Carriere, Sr. and Louise Elms Carriere. After a brief stint in the Army during the Cold War where he designed nuclear warheads, John graduated from Washington State University with degrees in Architecture and Civil Engineering. He began his architecture career in the early 1960s with Walk Jones and Francis Mah. Later opening his own firm, he designed schools, public facilities, and private homes throughout Shelby County. Subsequently, he designed modular housing with TMG Ltd, and then hotels for Holiday Inn. He ended his career back where he started with the JMGR firm.

Early in their marriage, he and Anne restored a 1907 Four Square in Central Gardens. John and his son Jay enjoyed many years camping with and supporting Boy Scout Troop 34 based at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church. At GSL, he participated in the Crossmen's Breakfast Ministry and played on the slow-pitch softball team. A former member of the Horseshoe Lake Recreational Club, the University Club, and the Midsouth Fly Fishers Club, he was an avid furniture builder and designer of a sequence of three houses for his family.

After retirement, he moved to the White River at Norfork, Arkansas, to immerse himself in his passions for fly fishing and collecting antique gasoline lamps and lanterns, having converted his garage into The Lamp and Lantern Museum. In retirement, John was the supervising architect for the construction of the ASU Mountain Home campus. After moving to Mountain Home, he and Anne spent 10 years traveling in "Harvey" the RV, with their dog Maggie, while collecting vintage lamps and fly fishing. In recent years, he served as an intake volunteer at the local hospital and as a member of the Men's Club at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. He was a faithful exerciser with the Men's Group at the Mruk House.

John leaves his wife, the Rev. Anne Stone Carriere, and two children, John G. "Jay" Carriere III (Jenny) and grandson Jack of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and daughter Elizabeth Carriere "Ebet" Peeples (Clayton) and their children Ella and Jack, of Memphis. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 8, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Mountain Home, with visitation at 1:00 p.m. A second service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 9, at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Memphis, with visitation at 1:00 p.m. Burial will be in the family tomb in New Orleans. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to St. Andrew's Mountain Home or to Trout Unlimited.