Roll Call Tribute

Edward Carr, Jr.

October 8, 1923 - September 13, 2022

On Tuesday September 13, our father Edward Carr Jr. passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 98. Just a few weeks shy of his 99th birthday his life was full and blessed. He was born in the small south Texas town of Encinal to his parents Edward and Edith Jordan Carr. From a young age he worked hard to help support his family during difficult economic times, by helping his father run the general store, shining shoes, working in the onion fields and even working as a soda jerk. After graduating from Cotulla High School, Ed attended Texas A&M University to study engineering.

While still at A&M, motivated by the attacks on Pearl Harbor, with permission from his father, he went to the closest recruiting station in Laredo, TX and enlisted to serve in the United States Navy. After receiving his commission as Ensign and later promoted to Lt JG , Ed served in the Pacific Theater of Operations aboard the USS Auburn AGC10 as a Fighter Direction Officer where he fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa alongside the now infamous Navajo Code Talkers. He finished the war transferring to the crew aboard the CVE66 USS White Plains (aircraft carrier). At the conclusion of the war he continued service to his country in the inactive reserves and returned to Texas A&M where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He became an active member of the Texas Society of Professional engineers for both mechanical and electrical engineering serving as president, a recognized member of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers), a president of Hermann Sons Lodge 1 in San Antonio as well as a representative for the Dammam Chamber of Commerce, and a faithful supporter of the Texas A&M Century Club.

Over the next several decades, Ed helped design the internal systems for many national and international projects. He was a lead engineer for many hotels such at Hyatt Regency, Intercontinental and Marriot; hospitals throughout the country including the Veterans Administration Medical Center, various educational projects such as the Graduate School of Business at UT. He developed space suit cooling systems as well as astronaut training facilities for NASA, led Arabian Refrigeration Industries in the air conditioning of Saudi Arabia and contributed to countless other high rises, government facilities, and computer centers that are too many to mention. His proudest achievement, however, was his role as Senior Engineer in the construction of the George R Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Our father was preceded in death by our mother Wanda and his brother Robert Carr. He is survived by his sister Mary Luise Wied, his oldest son Edward Carr III (Skipper), wife Bonita, grandchildren Theresa Shipp and Adam Carr. He is also survived by his daughter Kathy Nasr and her husband Afif and grandchildren Jessica Jones, Stephanie and Vanessa Nasr. Ed is also survived by his youngest son Scott Carr and wife Cheri as well as grandchildren Lindsay, Courtney and Caleb Carr. He loved watching his family grow and loved his eight great grandchildren.