July 11, 2023
In Loving Memory (1932-2023) ~
Frederick Chris Carter (90) passed away on July 11, 2023. Known to all as Chris, he was born in 1932 in London, England. He served in the British Army from 1950 to 1952 before joining British American Tobacco in 1953 and embarking on an adventurous career in Africa.
Chris lived and worked in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana. In 1964, he met Mary Heron in Accra, Ghana, where she was teaching nursing for the World Health Organization. They married in 1965 in Accra and emigrated to Canada later that year.
He was a loving and devoted father to three sons: Chris Jr., Tim, and Jeremy. In 1974, he and Mary moved to the Comox Valley and founded Blooming Barn Dried Flowers, which they ran successfully for 20 years before selling the business and retiring in 1995.
An avid outdoorsman and nature lover, Chris was given a Life Membership in the Comox District Mountaineering Club on his 80th birthday in recognition of decades of active participation in a wide range of outdoor, hiking, and preservation communities.
In retirement, Chris combined his lifelong love of nature with his passion for photography, launching a third career as a photographer and artist. Specializing in Vancouver Island landscapes, his photos were displayed and sold in galleries throughout the island. He taught photography at North Island College and later evolved into painting, sketching, and printmaking.
He is survived by his wife Mary, his sons Chris Jr., Tim, and Jeremy, their spouses Rebecca, Denise, and Rebecca, and grandchildren Nolan, Mayanna, Hilary, Sam, and Georgia.
A memorial service will be held at Anderton Gardens on August 2 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Strathcona Wilderness Institute at www.strathconapark.org.