Ethan Edward Carothers

1974 - 2022

Ethan Edward Carothers, 47, died suddenly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin of a heart attack on February 6, 2022. Ethan was a fifth-generation Californian but decided to head east in 2021 where he found golden opportunities for property. He purchased a home and was renovating a kitchen floor at the time of his death. Ethan was born in Santa Clara, California to Frederick and Susan Carothers on September 24, 1974. Ethan was a kind, generous, loving and self-directed soul. He is greatly missed by family and friends. He attended San Jose Unified Schools and thrived at the Willow Glen Elementary School. At age 10, he entered the Selma Olinder Gifted and Talented Program where he blossomed under teacher Sharon Ferguson in the studies of art and language. He earned awards for outstanding self-portrait, student-council service, and citizen of the month.Ethan had a great sense of humor, loved pets and animals, and the great outdoors, remembers one friend. "He was unique and authentic," said another friend. A childhood girlfriend lamented, "I wish I had married Ethan!"At age 15 while briefly attending a high school in San Francisco Unified School District, he was offered a scholarship to an art academy in New York City. He declined, instead he tested and achieved an early high school diploma at age 16. Next he was off to Florence, Italy. There, he expanded his talents in art into the design of clothing, jewelry, and masks as well sketches in pen and ink. Many creations are at the family home in Willow Glen and have become treasured art pieces.Ethan lived an adventurous life and considered the entire Bay Area his home. His work was his play and he explored a variety of careers. He made pizza in Campbell, drove a taxi in San Francisco, and worked in Oakland at the zoo. His final position was with an energy company in Palo Alto.In a two-year stint in Arkansas, he completed training as an electrician at the Arkansas Community College. He worked as an apprentice in that state before returning home realizing that wiring electricity was not for him. He hungered for the great outdoors in California and became a licensed dog-walker serving dog-owners in the hills above Oakland and Berkeley. Ethan was a life-long member of the Do It Now Club founded by his father, Frederick. This taught him to fix anything broken he encountered and to do it now. One of his life-long philosophies was "The early bird gets the worm." He was sure to be early for most everything. He leaves Susan Carothers (mother), Forest Carothers (brother), Stephanie Angeli (aunt). Frederick Carothers, (father) predeceased him.