Jeff McCarter Jr.

Life Reflection Jeff "Tater" McCarter Jr. passed away on October 16, 2023, at 71, at the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. His battle with serious medical issues in recent years showed his courage in facing life's challenges with a smile. He kept people rolling in laughter because he could find humor in the most mundane life circumstances. Despite the pain, Jeff became a hero and stayed strong until the end. Jeff was born to Jeff and Savannah McCarter on August 11, 1952, in Crawford, Mississippi. He was the second child of six children. Jeff joined Union Chapel Church in Fairport, Mississippi, at an early age and was active until his family relocated to Sturgis, Mississippi. Jeff was educated in the Sturgis County Public Schools, where he enjoyed football and was an avid football player. His first job was at Howard Furniture Company in Starkville, MS, but later, he became a long-time logger and worked for many years. He married Lula Mae Shanklin, and to this union, two children were born: Shelia Beasley and Sylinna McCarter. Jeff's favorite interests were fishing, hunting, riding horses, dancing, and entertaining his family and friends. Indeed, Jeff was the life of the party. In a word, a party would start once he walked in, but he began living a more composed and strife-free life in his later years. Jeff had a passionate love affair with cornbread, chicken, and peas. His canine companions, such as Big Momma, Spot, Lil Boy, and others, were dear to him. Jeff enjoyed talking to old friends he met at medical appointments, and they would reminisce about the good old days. His two children survive him, Shelia Beasley (Frank), Sylinna McCarter; and three grandchildren: Jaborris McCarter, Lazachery Johnson, and Jessica Haynes of Louisville, MS; his three sisters: Alice Tarton, Margaret Dotson, and Sandra McCarter, of Sturgis, MS; and his canine companions; a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. The loved ones that preceded him in death were his parents, Jeff and Savannah McCarter; brothers: Donald McCarter and Zelows McCarter; and nephews Gary Dotson and Ti'hyree Davis. Jeff will be remembered for all the heart he shared with his friends and family. He truly loved each of them; and if you knew him, you knew it. When his time came, he carried himself with dignity strength, and full of love for those who went before him. He will be missed dearly. Visitation at Hairston & Hairston Funeral Home on Thursday, October 26, 2023, from 1pm until 5pm, and funeral service at 11am on Friday, October 27, 2023, in the Hairston & Hairston Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Eucluck Gray, officiating.

Tributes

Jeff McCarter Jr.

August 11, 1952 - October 16, 2023