Elam Carlton (E.C.) Carr, Jr., 91, died peacefully at the McLeod Regional Medical Center Dillon, Tuesday, June 2, 2015, surrounded by family. Visitation will be held Friday, June 5 from 1:00-2:00 pm in Asbury Hall at the Main Street United Methodist Church. The service of remembrance, conducted by Reverend Bruce Sayre, will follow in the sanctuary at 2:00 pm. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery. Pallbearers include William Carr, Jim Carr, Alex Green, Cole Sims, Josh Funderburk and John McCoy. Cooper Funeral Home in Dillon is assisting the family.
Mr. Carr was born September 28, 1923, in Walstonburg, North Carolina, the oldest son of Elam Carlton Carr and Lucille Allen Carr. He grew up on a farm in Farmville, NC, attended school there, and graduated from Farmville High School. He then attended Louisburg Junior College for one year. In 1942, he began a four-year apprenticeship with the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dock Company as a wood patternmaker for the foundry department. One of his projects involved forging porthole flanges for the cruise ship, the U.S.S. United States. He also produced other wooden patterns for many of the major aircraft carriers including the Enterprise, the Hornet, and the Yorktown. It was during this apprenticeship time that E.C. developed his lifelong love of woodworking.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army as a part of the 102nd Infantry Division in WWII. After basic training, E.C. was shipped from Europe aboard the Queen Mary, a passenger liner pressed into service as a troop transport. His unit joined the final days of one of the biggest battles of the war in Europe, the Battle of the Bulge. After his discharge in 1946, E.C. returned to the Newport News shipyard and graduated as a journeyman patternmaker. He was awarded the prestigious Neil Cristansen Award for craftsmanship accomplishments. He then, on the GI bill, attended and earned a B.S. degree in Wood Products Manufacturing and Merchandising from North Carolina State University School of Forestry.
In 1953, he accepted a job with U.S. Plywood, which readied him for his life’s love and occupation. He also worked for a plywood company in Winnsboro, SC for two years. During this time, he married, had two sons, moved to Dillon, purchased a veneer mill on First Avenue, (which later became Dillon Veneer and Plywood) and had a third child, a daughter. He later opened a small furniture company that grew into what is now Dillon Furniture Manufacturing Company. Moreover, E.C. traveled the world in search of a wood source and chose the wood grown in Costa Rica, Central America. There in 1970, he built a veneer plant with machinery shipped from Dillon; this plant operated for thirty years.
While a citizen of Dillon County, E. C. was dedicated to his church and to his community. He was a member of Main Street United Methodist Church for over fifty years serving in countless capacities, one of which was serving on the Board of Trustees. He was a member of the Rotary Club for more than fifty years, having served as president in 1964-1965.
He became a Paul Harris Fellow and was named to the position of Rotary Emeritus. He was awarded the prestigious Dillon County Citizen of the Year award in 1973. He was chairman of the Debt Retirement Committee for the Dillon County Theatre, which resulted in the theatre’s ability to operate debt-free for the past twenty-five years.
He served on the South Carolina Committee for the USA Centennial Celebration at the request of General William Westmoreland. He later served the city of Dillon for 24 years as a councilman and served as Mayor-Pro tem. He also served on the local Board of the South Carolina National Bank and on the Board of St. Eugene Hospital in Dillon.
At age 86, Mr. Carr was presented with the Dolph Braddy Award, which recognizes citizens of Dillon County who have made significant contributions to the county’s betterment in civic, cultural, economic, religious and educational fields.
E.C. is survived by his wife, Joann McCoy Carr of the home; son, Elam Carlton Carr III (Lynn) of Dillon; son, William Howard Carr (Lydia) of Dillon; daughter, Nancy Katherine Carr of Charlotte, NC; brother, William Allen Carr of Philadelphia, PA; grandchildren, Ashley Sims (Cole) of Chapel Hill, NC, William Carr of Dillon, Marian Carr of Charleston, SC, Jim Carr of Dillon, Ellen Green of Charlotte, NC, Alex Green of Charlotte, NC, and one great-grandchild, Colston Sims of Chapel Hill. One brother, Charles Harrell Carr, formally of Farmville, NC, predeceases Mr. Carr.
E.C. will be always remembered for his strong work ethic, his patriotism, his conservatism, his love for handcrafted furniture and beautiful wood, and his quiet wit.
