June Bolch

Our gracious and loving family matriarch Carlyn June Smith Carter Bolch died on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at age 96. Although family centered her life, June played an integral part as an officer of Carter Construction Company for many years. She and her husband, former Louisiana state Senator Cecil Kay Carter, Jr., were founding members of Ford Park Baptist Church, participated widely in political circles, and were active members of various dance clubs and other business and charity organizations. She also served on the LSU-S Alumni Board, both the Shreveport and Louisiana Bicentennial Commissions, and Northwest Louisiana Economic Development Council.
From its inception as a state organization, June worked as a Regional Coordinator for the Louisiana Office of Tourism and supervised four of the Tourist Information Centers in North Louisiana. She officed in the welcome center at Greenwood on 1-20 but traveled frequently to the other centers in her charge at Vinton, Vidalia, and Mound as well as to the state offices in Baton Rouge and the other welcome centers in South Louisiana. A strong voice for the cultural and economic benefits of tourism, June was a tireless promoter of the beauty and attractions within Louisiana and a frequent presenter at travel conferences, exhibitions, and conventions across the United States and in Europe and Canada. Nationally, she served as both a board member and president of the State Information Center Directors Association. She wrote articles which appeared in Shreveport Magazine, Northwest Louisiana magazine, Our Legacy, the Monroe Morning World, and other statewide publications. Always, she was a reference and source of information for anyone interested in visiting or learning about or publicizing Louisiana. She researched for and authored the state guidebook River Trails, Bayous, and Back Roads and developed a certifications program and handbook for state travel counselors. She received the Chairman's Award for Tourism from the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. For her outstanding service and commitment to Louisiana and the tourism industry, June received the Charles E. Dunbar, Jr. Career Service Award from the Louisiana Civil Service League.
Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 25, 1929, to Edith and Carl Brown Smith, June moved to Shreveport as an infant and always considered Shreveport "home." She attended Queensborough area elementary schools and graduated from Fair Park High School. At Fair Park, she was a newspaper editor and served as an ROTC sponsor for the rifle team, a skill she developed and continued to use on occasional hunting trips with her husband Kay and two sons throughout her life. Her skill and accuracy were often the subject of comments by their guides and others in their hunting groups as she shot deer, ducks, and wild turkeys. She attended both Louisiana Tech and Centenary College but received her degree with dedicated effort later in her career from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. She remained a champion of education, her entire life and firmly believed that acquiring a degree was an important asset for anyone.
June is preceded in death by her father, her mother, Edith Mary Daniels Smith Brown, and stepfather, Johnnie A. Brown; her sister, Patricia Smith DeCharles; and her husbands, Cecil Kay Carter, Jr. and James A. Bolch. She is survived by her three children, Vicki Carter Patterson, of Carrollton, Texas, Cecil Kay Carter, III and his wife Judy, of Bossier City, and Stephen Brown Carter, of Benton, Louisiana. Of great joy in her life were the five grandchildren, Pat Bentel and wife Kelly, of Kihei, Hawaii, Catherine Carter (Katie) Brazeal and husband Jerod, of Fort Worth, Texas, Jessica Carter Anderson, of Benton, her namesake Carlyn Carter Lynch and husband Sean, of Highland Village, Texas, and Cody Kay Carter, of Benton. Amazed and delighted that she was able to be even a part of their lives, she lived to see and love all nine of her great-grandchildren: Austin Weaver, twins Lilah and Carter Anderson, Britton and Brynn Lynch, her namesake Caroline June and Claire Brazeal, and Parker and Carter Bentel. In addition, with grateful hearts we acknowledge Jim's children, Camilla Bolch and Pat McCan of Austin, Texas, and James R. Bolch and his wife Bernie Dixon of Mooresville, North Carolina, who with their families were attentive and caring to Mother the entire time they have been part of her extended family. We are grateful for the respect, love, and support they always showed her with cards, flowers, calls, and visits throughout the years, but especially after the passing of their father.
A funeral service for June Carter Bolch will be held in the Couch Chapel of First Methodist Church of Shreveport at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 4, 2025 with a reception following the service in the Parlor. Interment will follow at Forest Park West Cemetery.
If desired, memorials in June's honor may be offered to the following: LSUS Foundation, One University Place, Shreveport, LA 71115; First Methodist Church, 500 Common St, Shreveport, 71101; Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children, 3100 Samford Avenue, Shreveport, 71103; or to the charity of the donor's choice.