John Hurtis Carr, Jr

Obituary John Hurtis Carr, Jr., 90, of Morehead City died Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at home. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 20, 2015, at First Free Will Baptist Church Beaufort with the pastors, the Reverend Richard Patterson and Reverend Joseph Hall officiating. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service beginning at 10:00 a.m. A funeral service will also be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 22, 2015 at Memory Chapel Funeral Home, 2200 Skyland Blvd. East, Tuscaloosa, AL, with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. Rev. Charles Corley will officiate. Interment, with Military Honors, will take place in Memory Hill Gardens in Tuscaloosa. Mr. Carr was born April 23, 1925, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to John Hurtis Carr and Ina Bridges Carr. He served as a Flight Engineer and Top Turret Gunner on a B-17, "Little Patches", while flying missions over France during World War II. After the war he briefly worked in radio repair and for BF Goodrich building tires before settling into a life-long career building and racing motorcycles. Hurtis worked for shops in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama as well as owning his own business in Montgomery. He was known as a master mechanic and served as the Triumph Team Mechanic for the Daytona 200 in the early 1950s. He ran in the Jack Pine Enduro, a 500-mile endurance run in Lansing, Michigan, on three separate occasions, and was awarded the state championship for endurance runs in Alabama. His bikes were known in racing circles for being exceptionally durable and fast. Even in his later working years Hurtis mentored many young mechanics, passing along a life-time of valuable knowledge. After retiring from Montgomery Honda-Yamaha, Hurtis and Bessie moved back home to Tuscaloosa to be near family, where they resided until moving to Morehead City, NC in 2010. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Bessie Jones Carr; son, James Randall Carr, and wife, Penny of Morehead City; sisters, Carolyn Massey, and husband, James; Sara Terrell, and husband A. G. and Betty Davis, all of Tuscaloosa County, AL; 2 grandchildren, Samantha Lynn Carr and Britney Marie Carr. In addition to his parents, his sisters, Frances Moore, Claire Jones, as well as brothers, Elbert Carr, Harold Carr and half-brother, Milton Carr preceded him in death. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Carteret Health Care Foundation for Hospice, P. O. Drawer 1619, Morehead City, NC 28557. https://www.carterethealth.org/giving/donate-now Visitation Friday November 20, 2015 , 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at First Free Will Baptist Church Funeral Service Friday November 20, 2015 , 11:00 a.m. at First Free Will Baptist Church Visitation Sunday November 22, 2015 , 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Memory Chapel Funeral Home Funeral Service Sunday November 22, 2015 , 2:00 p.m. at Memory Chapel Funeral Home Interment will follow service at Memory Hill Gardens 1-888-579-7953 Code: 2002089P Facts Born: April 23, 1925 Place of Birth: Tuscaloosa County, AL Death: November 17, 2015 Place of Death: Morehead City, NC Occupation: Master Mechanic Memorial Donations Memorial donations can be made to: Carteret Health Care Foundation for Hospice, P. O. Drawer 1619, Morehead City, NC 28557. Services You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of John Hurtis Carr, Jr