Maurie Emma Williams Carter

Beloved Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Great-grandmother
A short story of a long life.
Maurie Emma Williams Carter reached the last page in the story of her life on December 27th, 2018 but what a wonderful life it was.
Her story began as the daughter of Sam and Beulah Williams growing up in Salt Lake City on Oakland Ave with her three sisters and two brothers, Melvin, Arlene, Robert, Pam and Kathryn. One of her first jobs was in the bakery at Warshaws and then as a secretary in their corporate office. When she was 18, just out of high school, she met Joseph Alvin Carter, a tall handsome man just out of the Navy whom she married on November 11th 1956. They had four children in five years, Scott, Tamyra, Camille “Kelly” and Shaun, and then eleven years later were blessed with a fifth, Mindy.
They first lived in an apartment on the second floor of a house where the landlord lived beneath them. Once, when they had taken a trip into the mountains, Maurie and Joe found a baby lamb that had been abandoned by the flock. Maurie convinced Joe they had to rescue it and bring it home. This was a bit of a problem because their landlord did not allow pets and the lamb they named “Pokey” had sharp little hooves that taped on the floor when he walked, revealing his presence to the landlord below and it was eventually evicted to an uncle who raised it on his farm. Eventually they moved to Gregson Ave where they lived until 1968 and then they moved one last time to Margray Drive, a perfect home with a view that looked across the entire Salt Lake Valley. Maurie made each house a home but this one was perfect always accommodated the holiday celebrations of a family that eventually grew to include 16 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
She embraced life’s challenges and rose above them as she juggled being a wife and mother of five children with a career. She was awarded the “IBM Means Service” award, one of IBM’s most prestigious honors that exemplifies the commitment and excellence that she gave to everything she did in life. She taught all of her children to be strong, independent, self-reliant and to love and respect life. She taught life’s most important lessons by example. Although she was not fond of spiders, she taught us how to overcome our fears and respect life by rescuing them and relocating them outside. She was adventurous, riding her motorcycle and then her 4-wheeler into the desert and mountains. She was hardworking, making housekeeping and cooking an art form and allowing us to share the burden which resulted in each and every one of us knowing we were an important member of the family. She was intelligent and resilient, effortlessly adapting to technology as many seniors were left behind and she was always reading a book.
Joe and Maurie walked life’s path together for 62 years. Their journey took them to many places but the one they loved the most was the Oregon Coast. For two weeks each year, they explored the rugged and rocky coastline where they would discover the amazing creatures that lived in tide pools, go crabbing off the docks in Charleston and search for clams with their bare feet in the muddy waters of the bay. They absorbed the amazing energy of life and it carried them through the tough patches. Eventually their path took them to Germany where they lived in the small town of Ehingen and their world suddenly got much bigger as they traveled to many of the great cities of Europe.
Eventually the nest was empty so they took to the road as snowbirds who spent the cold winters of Utah in the warmer climates of Parker Arizona and Mesquite Nevada. It was in Parker in the year 2001 that this story almost ended way too soon. While sitting on the banks of the Colorado River, Maurie suffered an aneurism. If it had not been for her friends who noticed a strange look in her eye at the moment it happened, she would have taken a nap to get rid of a “headache” and would most likely would not have woken up. But thanks to their warning, Joe took her immediately to the hospital where she was transported by life flight to St. Joseph’s hospital in Phoenix and was placed under the care of the world famous brain surgeon Dr. Spetzler.
This brings us to the magic in Maurie’s life. She was so very very lucky, not only in cards and dice at Bunko but narrowly escaping death’s knock and that made all of us lucky too. She lived a healthy and happy life until April of 2018 when she was diagnosed with cancer. She was courageous and brave in her fight against the disease but accepted defeat with grace and dignity. She gave everyone a chance to say their goodbyes and then she left when she knew it was time to go.
Her physical presence here on earth will be sorely missed but if you sit quietly and quiet your mind, you will feel her life’s energy all around you and it will never die. And her story continues in the books of those she is leaving behind, they carry her spirit and amazing energy forward into eternity and that is how long we will all love and miss her.
Family and friends are invited to join us in a celebration to honor her amazing life.
Latter Day Saints Church
6250 S 2200 W
Taylorsville Utah
• 11:00 Viewing
• 12:30 Celebration of Life
• 2:00 Procession to Graveside
Memorial Estates
6500 S Redwood Rd
West Jordan Utah
• 2:15 Dedication of Graveside
Serenity Garden
Service Information
Viewing January 4, 2019 at 11:00 AM
6250 South 2200 West, Taylorsville, Utah





Celebration of Life
January 4, 2019 at 12:30 PM
6250 South 2200 West, Taylorsville, Utah