Captain Carlton Francis Meredith Ret.

Captain Carlton Francis Meredith, United States Coast Guard, Ret., former commanding officer of Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, died suddenly on January 19th, 2022, in Mashpee, Massachusetts. He was 85-years old.
Born in Monrovia, California in 1936, he was raised in San Luis Obispo, California, son of Carlton Meredith and Frances (Littlefield) Meredith; the youngest of three children.
Carl was a California guy and loved sunbathing and surfing. He played football and ran track in high school and college. He was also a yell leader for basketball games, manning a megaphone and hoisting cheerleaders into the air.
A lifelong performer, the Captain was a prolific singer and actor. During his youth, he participated in chorus, performed in plays and musicals, and had his own comedy radio show. As an adult, he sang in the choir at every church he attended and acted in community theater. He was never shy, and his beautiful tenor voice could be heard at the officer's club on many Friday nights. And, if you caught him at the right time, he would perform the Harry Hill monologue from the Music Man – Well, you got trouble my friend. Right here, I say, trouble right here in River City.
Carl loved to play games. He was a great bridge player, was the Cape Cod poker champion in 1980 and couldn't be beat in Trivial Pursuit. Cards and fun games were a regular part of life for the Meredith family.
He joined the Coast Guard after college because Carl wanted to fly. After graduating from Officer's Candidate School, he became USCG Aviator #850 and flew both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters for the next 25 years. He had become a search and rescue pilot and had found his true calling in life.
Captain Meredith's largest impact on the Coast Guard was helping to establish the SAR (search and rescue) school on Governors Island, New York. He aided in developing SAR techniques and trained new pilots. For example, he was the first to train CG crews how to ensure safe helicopter landings on moving vessels in rough seas.
His long and distinguished career with the Coast Guard brought him to Cape Cod for the first time in 1979 where he was promoted to Captain and he took command of Coast Guard Air Station, Cape Cod as well as the entire Otis Military Reservation. It was his favorite tour of duty and one of the happiest times of his life.
After his retirement from the Coast Guard In 1985, the Captain transitioned into a career as a Naval Science Instructor and Junior ROTC Commander at Passaic High School in New Jersey. There he also coached football and track.
His second retirement (from teaching) came in 1993, and he and, the love of his life, his wife of 60 years, Elizabeth (Campbell) Meredith moved back to the Cape to their home in Mashpee.
On the Cape, he continued to coach track for a number of years at Falmouth High School. Local residents may remember his cable television show, On the Right Side, which aired weekly on Cape Cod for nearly four years. Or, you may have seen him on the golf course at Otis, where he played regularly.
Carl is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their seven children: Victoria, Carlton, David, Peter, Jonathan, Phillip and Bridget. Their nine grandchildren: Joshua, Shelby, Peter, Rachel, Alexander, Andrew, Nathan, Evangeline and Violet. And two great grandsons: Ryland and Elias.
As a child, he was nicknamed "Sonny." But it should've been spelled "Sunny" because Carl's love of life, his ever-present smile and positive outlook made him a ray of sunshine for anyone lucky enough to have known him.
Captain Carlton F. Meredith's Funeral Mass will be at noon on Friday, January 28, 2022, at Christ the King Church, in Mashpee, MA. This will be followed by the interment of his ashes, at the Massachusetts National Cemetery at 1:45 PM. The Coast Guard with give The Captain full honors, including a flyover in recognition of his exemplary service as an aviator and his innovative contributions to Coast Guard Search and Rescue Training.
In lieu of sending flowers, please donate to the Christ The King Food Pantry, P.O. Box 1800, Mashpee, MA 02649, or Click here to donate: www.christthekingparish.com.