Edgar Lee “Buddy” Carrier, Jr., age 83, of Abingdon, Va., passed away on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at Johnston Memorial Hospital. We draw strength and comfort knowing Buddy is with the Lord as he had a personal relationship with Christ and a decades long walk serving and loving the Lord where he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior as a teenager.
Buddy was born August 15, 1936, in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. to the late Edgar Lee Carrier, Sr. and Jean Fehrenburg Carrier. On July 30, 1960, he married Betty Jo Scott in Bristol, TN and they were an inseparable, loving couple for over 58 years. They raised one daughter, Tammy Jo Morelock (Carrier), who passed away April 16, 2004, and one son, Brian Lee Carrier. Buddy was a loving grandfather to four grandchildren: Lauren Morelock, Joshua Carrier, Ellie Carrier, & Daniel Carrier and loving brother to two sisters, Delma Slagle (Carrier) and Nora Jean Satterfield (Carrier).
Buddy was a 1956 graduate of Tennessee High School, was a veteran of the United States Army, attended Carson Newman College, and retired from a 30+ year career as the Assistant Administrator at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, VA and Smyth County Community Hospital in Marion, VA.
He was very active serving others and Christ for over 60 years at Abingdon Baptist Church and Tennessee Avenue Baptist Church. Usually, obituaries list all the accomplishments of someone by what the world measures of value – education, positions, work accomplishments, and other earthly pursuits. However, we would like to honor our dear father, grandfather, brother, and friend for how he lived his life to quietly honor, love and serve his personal Lord who was his best friend and Savior. Without fanfare, Buddy prayed for his children, grandchildren, family, and friends daily at the breakfast table. He always had time to love people, serve their needs, and show Christ thru his life to others.
Most that knew Buddy, experienced the love of Christ in his eyes, his loving sacrifice and service for others, his encouraging words, and his unrelenting trust in his Heavenly Father thru all the good and hard times of life. His main life goal was in his words “to at least touch one life for Christ so someone else could know the absolute joy, contentment and peace thru a personal relationship with Christ now and into eternity”. One way Buddy did this was by making over 10,000 “Smile God Loves You!’ smiley face necklaces for children in the US, Bolivia, Nigeria, Moldova, Haiti, and several other countries. Over a decade, he painstakingly hand cut, sanded, and hand painted those ‘Smile, God Loves You!’ words over 10,000 times because he simply wanted others to know Christ and understand the overwhelming love of their Heavenly Father. Buddy also wrapped, supplied gifts for, and packaged up thousands of ‘shoebox’ Christmas gift boxes for children around the world as part of the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child project.
Buddy is survived by his son, Brian Lee Carrier and daughter-in-law, Colleen Carrier; son-in-law, Roy Morelock; grandchildren, Lauren Morelock, Joshua Carrier, Ellie Carrier, and Daniel Carrier; sisters, Delma Slagle (Carrier) and Nora Jean Satterfield (Carrier); nephews & nieces, Matt Slagle, Alison Slagle Quickel, Adam Blankenbeckler, Wes Blankenbeckler, Jaime Scott, Walter Scott, Sam Scott, Robbie Scott, Mark Scott, and Rusty Scott.
When it is possible for family/friends to assemble again, a Celebration of Life in Christ service will be held at the Abingdon Baptist Church.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations and mark as “Samaritan's Purse Shoebox Ministry” to: Abingdon Baptist Church, 361 W Main St., Abingdon, VA 24210.
Those wishing to share memories and express sympathy online, and to send a “Hugs from Home,” please visit
www.farrisfuneralservice.com. Any "Hugs from Home" should be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Friday, 4/3/20. The family of Edgar Lee “Buddy” Carrier, Jr. is being cared for by Farris Funeral Service and Crematory, 427 E. Main St., Abingdon, VA 24210 (276-623-2700).