Carter John Jones, IV

Carter John Jones IV was born on April 6,1959 to Carter John Jones III and Ruby Vernell Jones in Detroit, Michigan. Carter IV is the eldest of two sons (Terryl) born to this married union.

Carter was baptized at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Rev. Dr. Charles G. Adams. Later, he also attended Union Grace Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Bishop Reginald E. Smith. He joined his brother Terryl at Union Grace to participate in the Usher Board Ministry. During the pandemic, and following his illness, he enjoyed online Sunday church services at both Hartford currently led by Rev. Charles C. Adams and Friendship West Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III in Dallas, Texas.

As a youth, Carter and his brother Terryl spent numerous summers in Guadalajara, Mexico with his grandfather, Carter John Jones Jr., who was an entrepreneur and businessman, in both the United States and Mexico. He became fluent in Spanish during this time. Carter completed his elementary and secondary education within the Detroit Public School system. During this time, he participated in R.O.T.C., swimming team, and student government. He also was in the youth blizzard ski club and the Jim Dandy ski club, which was the first black ski club to be established in the United States. He graduated from Redford High School in 1977. After graduation, he attended Grambling State University, a HBCU in Louisiana to study Business Administration. Later, Carter V and Preston would also choose legacy attendance at GSU. Carter IV then enlisted in the United States Navy, focusing on Computer Systems. He traveled to numerous countries during which time he became fluent in Portuguese and Italian. He received a Navy Achievement Medal from Rear Admiral Leighton W. Smith, Retired indicating that, “Carter single-handedly maintained the computer systems for USS Forrestal Commander, Carrier Group Six and Commander, Carrier Airwing Six in the highest possible state of readiness while in the Mediterranean Sea.”

While enlisted, Carter married Cynthia Lewis Schneider in 1984. To this union, three children were born, Adrienne, Carter V, and Preston. The family moved with his naval assignments including California, Virginia, and Florida. After the dissolution of this marriage, he left the Navy in 1989 and returned home to Michigan, to await his next government assignment with the Intergraph Corporation. During this long wait for this federal assignment, he began his stateside career becoming a Network Administrator at Frank’s Nursery and also married Denise Lavender Jones in 1991. From this union, one daughter, Alexis, was born in 1996. Carter continued his career in Network Administration at various corporations such as Ford Motor Company, Consumer Energy, Volkswagen Corporation, Dell Corporation, and Compuware. In the later years he worked as a contractor with Detroit Public Schools as part of their technical support staff, until his retirement in 2021.

Carter John Jones IV was called home during his sleep to be with the Lord on Thursday February 6, 2025. He was preceded in death by his parents Ruby and Carter Jones III. He leaves to cherish his memory; his spouse Denise Lavender Jones, his children Alton (Dell) Parks, Adrienne (Henry) Jordan, Carter J. Jones V, Preston B. Jones, and Alexis L. Jones, three grandchildren: Henry Jordan III, Haley Jordan, Hudson Jordan, a brother Terryl D. Jones, a sister-in-law Kalita Jones, a stepmother Marjorie Williams-Jones, sisters Caroline (Will) Farley and Deborah Jones, uncles Ernesto Jones and Melvin (Rachelle) Jones, a niece Kalisa Jones and nephew Terryl Jones Jr., cousins Tyiese (Alfred) Williams, Denean Brown, Denard Ferguson, a host of second generational family members, along with his lifelong friends Dr. Gloria A. Howze and William Workman.