Harold Gene Carlton

Harold Gene Carlton Sr., 89, passed away on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. He was born October 31, 1934, in Taplin, West Virginia, to Claude Carlton and Mary Jane Parsons Carlton. He was preceded in death by his wife, Fonnie Zirkle Carlton.

He was also preceded in death by his parents Claude Carlton and Mary Jane Parsons Carlton, brothers, Conley Carlton (Loraine), Joseph Carlton (Ruby), and sisters, Goldine Carlton Justus (Halcy), Ruth Carlton Hamlett (Herb), Eunice Carlton Pendergraft (Curtis), Ruby Carlton Shepherd (Minor), and Norma Carlton Ervin (Louis). He is survived by his children Connie Jane Carlton, and Gene Carlton, and his grandson Matthew Carlton Cline, and his sister, Eula Carlton Little (Wayne), and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Harold was a member of Little Rock Baptist Church in Boomer, NC. Harold’s celebration of life and the graveside service will take place at a later date in Logan, West Virginia with a gathering of his friends and family. He will be laid to rest beside his loving wife, Fonnie, in Logan, West Virginia, where they married and lived together for many years before moving to Boomer, NC.

If there is one thing I could add about my dad, Harold Carlton, is that attitude is everything and he loved life! When enduring devastating illnesses, he refused to let it define him or steal his joy.

He lived loudly and fully, loved warmly, and his laugh was contagious! He is a proud Army Veteran and he found joy in the simplest things; his beloved card game, spades; football with his son, watching the Super Bowl with him for 50 years. Cruises with family were many and he took his daughter, son, and grandson on them. Harold’s greatest achievement was not in things that he found enjoyment in, but love for family and friends.

In his papers, as he was a good keeper, he wrote “I am what it says I am, I have what is says I have, and I can do what is says I can do!” He left us with that piece about life. He often talked to his baby girl about life, always saying “just look around at how God made the trees that absorb pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and give us oxygen in exchange, just one very small thing that lets you know God thought of everything so we could live her on Earth, so anyone that doesn’t believe just look around at all God has given us to enjoy.”

I want my father to be remembered not as a man defined by life’s challenges, but as a man who rose above them! A man who from his life this mental attitude is everything, you got that and you have half the battle won. As we mourn, let us remember that Harold, our beloved father, remains with us, his spirit walking beside us. His legacy will be cherished for eternity.

In memoriam, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society.

P.O. Box 11796, Charlotte, NC 28220.