Reta Jane Carter

Reta Jane Norman Carter was born on April 19, 1925, in Booker, Texas, the youngest child of Rascoe Sweeney Norman and Fannie Rachel Taylor Norman. She was predeceased by her brothers, Brents Norman of Amarillo, Texas, and Jim Norman of Plainview, Texas, and, in 2000, by her husband, Robert (Bob) M. Carter.
Reta lived in Plainview, Texas, from early childhood until 2002. Her father was a minister of the First Christian Church, and her parents edited and published the Community Weekly. Later, her mother was the County Clerk of Hale County.
After graduating from Plainview High School in 1941, Reta received a B.A. from Texas Tech College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She continued her study of literature at the University of Kansas where she received an M.A. in 1948.
In 1946, Reta married Bob Carter, also of Plainview. They played tennis together from the time that they were in high school until their 70s. They also enjoyed water skiing and many camping trips in the Pecos Wilderness of New Mexico. She was very interested in ancient Greece and took pleasure in studying its literature, art and architecture. She and Bob traveled extensively in Greece and to Turkey, Italy, France and the U.K.
One of the most satisfying experiences of her life was teaching literature and composition in the Department of English at Wayland Baptist University from 1968 to her retirement in 1995. A mentor to many students, she was also a faculty sponsor of the music and honor societies.
Reta was an active volunteer in the community. A lifelong member of the First Christian Church, she served as an elder, a member of the board of directors and a teacher of adult Sunday school. She was also a Girl Scout troop leader, a member of PTA and PEO, president of the board of directors of the Plainview Public Library and the Plainview Symphony and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. With teachers Beatrice Webb and Susan LaFont, she developed the Humanities class for seniors in Plainview High School. Throughout her life she played the piano and took pleasure in classical music.
Reta shared her sharp sense of humor freely with others and was keenly interested in how they lived and thought about their lives. Above all she loved spending time with family, especially her children and granddaughter.
In 2002, she moved to the Boston area where she lived with her daughters Mary and Page until moving to an assisted living community in 2009. She continued to enjoy reading, crosswords, music and art, attending the Boston Symphony and visiting museums.
She is survived by her daughters Jane Carter of Boston; Mary Carter and partner Evelyn Barnes of Boston; Page Carter and spouse Sandy Bodner of Medford, Mass.; son Robert Carter of Horsehoe Bay, Texas, and Cynthia Hester of Lubbock, Texas; granddaughter, Morgan Ripski, husband Michael and great-grandsons Clyde and Oliver, of New Orleans; Morgan's mother, Lesley Airth of Fort Worth, Texas; two nieces, Brenda Moser and Carol Ann LeMaster and nephew Jimmy Norman and many former students and faithful friends. All will miss her dearly.
The family suggests memorials to the Wayland University Department of English or the First Christian Church of Plainview.