EUNICE CAROL GUENTHER-CARTER
December 1, 1930 – August 1, 2024
Eunice Carol Guenther was born on December 1st, 1930 into the family of George and Mildred Guenther, the fifth child of ten siblings in the small town of Woodworth, North Dakota. In 1936 at the age of six, Eunice and her family moved to Shafter, California. She attended Richland Elementary and Shafter High Schools. Which is where she met her lifelong, best friend and side kick to this day, Velma Bradshaw-Godby at the age of eleven. Eunice and Velma were the Lucy and Ethel of Shafter.
Eunice's Father being the Post Master General in Shafter, put her to work at the Shafter post office right out of high school. Which is where she met Bill Carter a short time after.
For Bill it was love at first sight. However Eunice kept the romance alive by playing hard to get. After much persistence and even a broken neck, Bill finally won Eunice's heart and her hand in marriage in March of 1950.
Because the Korean war started right after that, their honeymoon got cut short. Bill was shipped off to the Navy. That turned out to be just a small hiccup in their sixty one year marriage. Both Bill and Eunice would be quick to tell anyone that asked, that the one main reason for such a long and successful marriage was their devotion to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
For them it was never a religion, but a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Their 61 years together proved to be very busy. In 1954 the couple embarked on starting their family. A son was born, they lovingly named him Russel after Bill's favorite older brother. Unfortunately, there were some complications and the beautiful baby boy didn't make it. I would sometime imagine the two of them coming home to the empty room that had been all fixed up and decorated ready for that happiest of days. How hard that must have been.
However in 1955 a girl was born, they named her Marian. And two years later a second boy was born, they named him Kyle after the Milkman, Kyle Austin. God had another blessing that came along five years later, they named that blond hair blue eye baby girl, Lori.
The couple also had success in business. Together they opened and operated two Mobile Gas stations. Bill took care of the customers while Eunice managed the ordering of inventory, also keeping a clean set of books. But when things got busy, Eunice was right out there washing windshields and checking the tires for air alongside Bill.
In 1957 the two started a construction company, building hundreds of homes in Shafter, Bakersfield and even as far as Grover City. It was a wonderful life. The two made many friendships, and God blessed their business for over forty years.
In 1962 the family moved to Bakersfield. Eunice enrolled her two oldest children, Marian and Kyle into Norris School. Which was at that time a very small one building school house. The kids were enrolled as student number 94 and 95 in the district. Because the school was so small, Eunice soon found herself as President of the PTA, and head of the annual May dinner. Offices that she shared with others for many years.
Eunice also discovered a small church on Rosedale Hwy called Fruitvale Community Church. Now known as Riverlakes Church. Bill and Eunice jumped in together working diligently in that little church for many years. Teaching classes, organizing work days and potlucks, vacation Bible school and summer camps. Even building the new buildings when needed. Most of all, they made strong lifelong friendships. This was without a doubt, their lifelong Church family.
At one point, Bill and Eunice saw that several families in the community were often in need of food and clothing. With their church family they bought a big truck, hired some college kids and started a company called “Christian Services” that would collect used clothing and glean the fields and orchards for the food crops that got passed by. Then box it all up and hand it out to those who were in need.
While in the middle of all that, the couple noticed a bigger need right in their own neighborhood. There wasn't a church for the many neighborhood kids to go to. So Bill and Eunice being builders, cleared off a spot on their property right at the end of Mignonette street, and built a beautiful red one room church house with large colored windows that opened wide. They called it “The Children's Church.”
Every Sunday for several years that Little Red Church house filled up with children from the neighborhood wanting to learn about Jesus. Bill and Eunice were happy to teach them.
Once their children left home to start their own families, Eunice filled her time managing a Hallmark store, and volunteering at Memorial Hospital on their Auxiliary as a Candy Striper. She again quickly worked her way up to being the President, and held that spot for many years. Bill retired at age 59, he and Eunice adopted twin baby boys that needed a good home. Together they raised those boys in a great Christian home for 20+ years, and showed them all their love.
Eunice enjoyed a long and very blessed fulfilling life. However she also suffered some great losses in her lifetime. On Thanksgiving of 1999 her oldest daughter Marian was murdered. Again in 2012, Bill lost his battle with Alzheimer's disease. Then in 2022 youngest daughter Lori passed on due to Cancer. These things weighed heavy on Eunice's heart.
But on August 1st, 2024, Eunice Carol Carter finally went home. This was something that she had been working toward and looking forward to all of her life. As a very young girl in North Dakota she put her full faith and trust in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ to save her soul. So on that final day of her life, with exceedingly great joy, Eunice was re-united with her dear Father, Mother and nine brothers and sisters. She will recognize and rejoice with so many dear friends that she loved and toiled with on this Earth. Bill, Russel, Marian and hopefully Lori will be there waiting to hug her neck then take her by the hand so that they may run with joy through Heaven together. Then, if that wasn't enough, Eunice will have the greatest of all opportunities to find herself face to face with her Lord and Redeemer, her Savior and lover of her soul, Jesus Christ. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This for certain, was the greatest of all days for Eunice Carol Guenther Carter.
As her son Kyle and wife Kimberly, along with Mom's eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. We look forward to the day that we too will join you in Heaven.
A graveside service will be held on August 16th, 2024 at 10am at the Shafter Cemetery.