James "Jimmy" Asbury Carter III

James "Jimmy" Asbury Carter III of Morganton, GA, age 77, was called home to heaven to meet his Savior on January 28, 2019.

Jimmy was born in Miami, FL on March 27, 1941. His late father, James Asbury Carter, Jr., and his late grandfather, James "Berry" Asbury Carter, owned and operated Carter Produce in Miami for many years. His late mother, Naomi Jane Schleucher, was the daughter of missionaries who founded the Miami Rescue Mission in 1922. It is still in operation today.

Jimmy graduated from Miami Senior High School in 1959 and attended University of Miami. In his freshman year, he went on a blind date and met Beverly Eloise Barkett, the love of his life, They married in 1962. Jimmy transferred to Florida State University where he earned a B.A. in History in 1964, a M.A. in History in 1965, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education in 1969. Beverly and Jimmy had two daughters while living in North Florida, Samantha and Annabelle.They relocated to Virginia and then to Central Florida before going to New Orleans, LA in 1979, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Studies at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1981, he took his family back to Miami where he served as a minister and pastor of a Southern Baptist Church.

Jimmy and Beverly bought a home in Blairsville, GA in 1999, seeking a simpler lifestyle in the mountains. He was a faithful member of Temple Baptist Church in Morganton, where he sang in the choir and often wrote and performed solo pieces. He was active in the Mens' Brotherhood Breakfast, Sunday School, Church Cafe and Outreach Program.

Jimmy was a lifelong learner, being both formally educated and self-taught in many subjects. He loved animals and went to great lengths to help any who were neglected or injured. He was generous to a fault with people, feeding the homeless and giving money to those in need, though he was never a wealthy man. He will be missed most of all for his wacky sense of humor. In his final days in the hospital, he told jokes to the doctors and no one left his room without a smile. He used his last bits of strength to compliment the procession of caretakers, remembering all of their names and expressing his gratitude for their help.

Jimmy is survived by his wife of 56 years, Beverly Barkett Carter of Morganton, GA; daughter Samantha Lee Carter of Miami, FL; daughter Annabelle Lee Carter, son-in-law Peter H. Maguire, grandsons Robert Lee Seaborne Maguire and Joe William Dynamite Maguire of Wilmington, NC; sister Nancy Jane Carter of Atlanta, GA; brother John Carter and sister-in-law Judy Carter of Portland, OR; sister Georgia Carter Freeman of Catawba, NC; several nieces, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Condolences can be expressed online at CochranFuneralHomes.com. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Temple Baptist Church (please specify Music Ministry), P.O. Box 143, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513. A memorial service will be held at Temple Baptist Church in Morganton on Sunday, February 24th, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. Temple Baptist Church is located at 28 High Country Crossing, Morganton, Georgia, 30560, phone (706) 374-5096.

His ashes will be returned to Miami, the "Magic City" that he loved, and scattered in Biscayne Bay in a private family ceremony.

Arrangements entrusted to Cochran Funeral Home & Crematory of Blairsville.