Edward Ernest Carithers, Jr

Edward E. Carithers, Jr. passed away on Tuesday January 3, 2017, after an extended battle with cancer. Born on January 31, 1931, Ed was the son of Edward and Margaret Carithers, both now deceased. A native Atlantan, he graduated from Brown High in the Atlanta Public School System. While at Brown, he played football as a tackle on the team that won three consecutive city league championships as well as a state championship in 1949. Coach Bobby Dodd recruited him and several of his teammates to play for Georgia Tech beginning in 1950.

In his sophomore year, Ed married Mary Howard Watkins, a fellow Brown High graduate, at West End Presbyterian Church. Nicknamed "Bulldog" since high school for his stance on the field, Ed and his fellow Yellow Jackets ended their 1951 football season with a victory in the Orange Bowl. Unbeaten and untied during the 1952 season, Ed and his teammates went on to clinch the National Championship with a victory in the Sugar Bowl. After graduating from Tech with a degree in Industrial Management, Ed served in the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. In 1956, he and Mary Howard returned to Atlanta, where he worked in office supply sales for almost forty years. They had two daughters, Julie and Lisa. Ed and Mary were active members of West End Presbyterian Church for several years, where they served as youth leaders and Ed served as a deacon. In 1973, the family joined Shallowford Presbyterian Church, and over time, Ed served this congregation with seven terms on the Session. He and Mary were active in the Hi Seniors, and Ed was a member of the Men's Prayer Breakfast Group. Ed and Mary Howard celebrated more than sixty years of happy marriage before her death in 2012. Ed then became a co-facilitator of the Growing Through Grief Group.

He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law: Julie and Philip Groce of Macon and Lisa and David DeCarlo of Alpharetta; and his grandchildren Harry Groce and Ashlyn and Austin DeCarlo. He is also survived by his nephews Cary Patrick (Lisa) and Kevin Patrick (Molly), their children and grandchildren, as well as a cousin, Gayle Boling.

A memorial service will be held at Shallowford Presbyterian Church on Saturday, January 21, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. Members of the Men's Prayer Breakfast will serve as honorary pallbearers at that time. The family will greet guests at a reception following the service. Interment of ashes will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that contributions be made to Shallowford Presbyterian Church, Hospice Atlanta, or Eagle Ranch.

Feel free to leave the family your condolences via the guestbook provided.

Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033