Carlton Ethridge Jr.

Carlton Ethridge Jr., loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, son and uncle returned home to be with his Heavenly Father on Saturday March 27, 2021. He was 73 years old. He was born on September 4, 1947 in Hampton, Arkansas to Carlton Ethridge Sr. and Bernice Idell Depriest. He was the youngest of 5 children and is now with his parents and his siblings; JB (Odessa), Onie May, Reba Faye and Marvin (Pauline).

Junior (Carlton) graduated from Fordyce High School in 1965 and was involved in many clubs including the Projectionist Club and the Future Farmer’s of America. The summer after graduation he was working at the local grocery store. One of the managers of the store,Lee Sanders had a cousin, 15 year old Carolyn Sue Holton. One day that summer she came up from Eagle Mills to do some grocery shopping. Carolyn was standing at the magazine rack when Junior came up to her and saw that she was wearing a boy’s class ring. Junior told her to take that ring off because I will be down to your house on Sunday. That Sunday, sure enough Junior was down at her house. They were engaged in the summer of 1967 and got married at 11:30 pm in Fordyce at the home of Reverend Ramsey on December 1, 1967.

Years later, after Junior and Carolyn became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they were sealed for time and all eternity and then sealed to their children Mark and Sabina in the Provo Utah Temple on January 27, 1990.

During the Vietnam War, Junior wanted to join the Navy while still in high school, but his father would not let him because he was not yet 18. He later joined the Army National Guard in 1966 and served 6 years as a cook.

Junior had worked several years in the grocery store industry and had other jobs as well throughout his life. He had been retired for many years at the time of his passing.

He enjoyed raising his family, dancing with his wife, bowling and playing pool. He loved his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren very much and was always excited to see them and to hear what they were doing. He will be missed by everyone and left this life knowing that he was loved.

Junior is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carolyn Ethridge, his son Mark Ethridge (Lynette) of Spanish Fork, Utah and daughter Sabina (Phillip) Burt of Saginaw, Texas. He is also survived by his six grandchildren (Aaron, Zachary, Jessalyn, and Jacob Ethridge and Landon and Layla Burt) and four great grandchildren (Sawyer, Adelyn, Blakely, and Rosamund Ethridge) with a fifth one coming this August. He was also a loving uncle to his many nieces and nephews.

Services will be held in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Meetinghouse at 300 Ridgecrest Drive, Saginaw, Texas on April 17, 2021. The viewing will be from 1:00-2:00 pm and the funeral service will be from 2:00-3:00 pm. It is requested that you please wear a mask.