Jack Wayne Carter, DMD

Jack Wayne Carter, DMD, passed away peacefully on January 5, 2025, at The Claiborne assisted living facility in Augusta, Georgia, at the age of 92. 

Born on February 18, 1932, he devoted his entire life to serving His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Renowned for his faith, dedication, and professionalism, “Dr. Jack” made a significant impact on his family, his community, his colleagues, his staff, and the patients he served throughout his distinguished career in Orthodontics. His unwavering commitment to excellence and serving others earned him deep respect in the Augusta area and among those who had the privilege of working with him. 

Born to Wayne and Bessie (Goodman) Carter in Pekin, Illinois, Jack was the eldest of the two sons that Wayne and Bessie were blessed to raise. At the early age of just 12, Jack began his entrepreneurial career by starting his own paper route. He was able to save enough money to buy two small houses at the age of 13 and rented them to two families. That early taste in business would later lead him to a career in mechanical engineering, followed by an even longer career in orthodontics. 

In 1952, at the age of 20, he married the love of his life, Yolanda “Lonnie” Frigard, who was just 17. Since this was the height of the Korean War, he enlisted in the United States Navy and the newlyweds began their life adventure stationed in Newport, Rhode Island. He served on the USS Keppler and USS Yosemite. Living in an 18-foot-long trailer hundreds of miles from home was an interesting start on their journey to forever together. But they made the best of it and welcomed their first two children into the world while there. Once he was honorably discharged from the Navy, they moved back to their hometown so that he could finish his college education. 

After earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, he began working for Caterpillar in their fluid dynamics division. His boss there was the legendary Pete Schutz, who eventually became the President and CEO of Porsche. While working for Caterpillar, Jack became so well known that he was asked to work for General Electric on their plan to build the engine for the Super Sonic Transport plane (the SST), which was the United States version of the Concorde jet. The job was rewarding intellectually and financially, but he disliked the time and travel required of the job. It simply took far too much time away from his wife and (at the time) four children. He decided to take a career placement exam to ascertain what career path could be a better fit for him and his family. The test revealed that, of all things, he should pursue a career in healthcare. The exam identified his love for design, as well as his desire to determine his family’s future. So, he began to look into a career in the field of healthcare 

After looking into various possibilities, he decided that a career in dentistry was a good fit, and specifically the specialty of orthodontics. After much prayer, he and Lonnie decided to uproot the entire family and move to Lexington, Ky to attend dental school at The University of Kentucky (UK). With four kids in tow, and not much in their bank account, they trusted the Lord to open every door required in this new segment of their adventure. He continued to work as an engineer on weekends and holidays as needed, and also became a part time janitor at the dental school. He and Lonnie also converted their garage into a daycare so that she could help bring in some additional income. Their faith saw them through some very difficult financial times along the way, and God ALWAYS provided. 

While still in dental school, he discovered that several faculty members were leaving the UK Dental School to form the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) School of Dentistry in Augusta, Ga. He inquired to see if there were any openings in the orthodontic residency that was about to open in Augusta and was accepted into the first orthodontic program at MCG. He and his fellow resident, Dr. Charles Smaha, began in June of 1970. With the dental school still under construction, their first classroom was actually a hotel room down the street from the school. They used the bathtub to trim dental models and perform lab work, and their classroom was the rest of the space in the hotel room. It was a very interesting start to his decades-long career in orthodontics. 

Upon completing his residency in 1972, he and Lonnie decided to stay in Augusta, and practiced with Dr. John Cudd for one year. In 1973 he ventured out on his own and started his own practice (Carter Orthodontics) across the street from Augusta National Golf Club. His earlier newspaper delivery and home ownership ventures served him well in his new business. And his fluent understanding of mechanical engineering principles served him well in the very mechanical aspects of moving teeth. God blessed the business, and they quickly outgrew the space on Washington Road. He built a larger office on Boy Scout Road, and then moved into multiple offices across the Aiken-Augusta-North Augusta areas. God was richly blessing the business, providing for all four of their kids plus a constantly growing staff. He was always quick to confirm that GOD was the actual owner of the practice. Jack was simply a faithful servant. 

Since he surrendered his life to Jesus at the age of 18, sharing his faith was always Jack’s first priority. So before seeing patients each day, he held morning Bible Studies with any staff that wanted to join him. Lonnie also wanted to share her faith in Jesus with others, which lead her to form the Augusta Christian Women’s Club. The two of them loved being involved in Young Life over the years and were instrumental in starting “The First Step” youth and young adult ministry inside the historic Cotton Exchange in downtown Augusta. He also served as the Chairman of the Board at Westminster Schools of Augusta and oversaw the move from the school’s original location in National Hills Baptist Church to the current location on Wheeler Road. They have been faithful members of Warren Baptist over the years and are members of the Chandler-Rahn-Sechrist Life Group. 

As the business continued to grow, Jack & Lonnie decided to open an office in their favorite beach town of Hilton Head Island, SC. Being an accomplished pilot and small plane owner, they would travel to the island every other long weekend to see patients and enjoy the beach. But being a lifelong entrepreneur, he was always open to business ideas that the Lord gave him. In the mid 1980’s, he started a leasing company, a healthcare credit card company, and at the height of the video gaming craze, multiple video game rooms across the area. After multiple careers, spanning 50 years, he and Lonnie decided to retire in 1997, and sold the orthodontic practice to his youngest son. They bought a scenic home on Misty Mountain in Blowing Rock, NC, where they enjoyed majestic sunsets behind Grandfather Mountain in the distance over the succeeding 27 years. Jack’s failing health in recent years forced them to sell their mountain home in August of 2024, one month before Hurricane Helene ravaged the mountain community they lived in. Their home of over 50 years in West Lake Country Club in Augusta was also severely damaged by the hurricane, requiring them to find residence elsewhere. God was surely looking out for the couple before, during, and after the hurricane. Their homeowner’s insurance covered the damage to their primary home and helped with temporary residency at The Claiborne assisted living facility just outside the gate of west Lake. 

The orthodontic practice they started together now has locations across the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), as well as locations in Atlanta and Savannah. The business that God owns, and Jack gratefully stewarded over, continues to grow and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

Jack finished the race that God set before him and is now walking alongside his Savior in Glory! And we are CERTAIN Jesus is telling Jack “Well done my good and faithful servant!” 

He leaves behind his wife of 72 years, Yolanda (Lonnie) Carter; one brother: Jim Carter (wife Carol) of Pekin, Il: one sister-in-law: Dolores (Frigard) Gilmore of Pekin, Il; four children: Susan Carter Mulherin, JD (husband Mark) of St. Simons Island, Ga; Jack Brennan Carter, MD of Birmingham, Al; David Brian Carter, DMD (wife Linda Franks Carter) of Augusta, Ga; Kim Marie Carter of Columbia, SC; eight grandchildren: Brooke Lovett of Murfreesboro, Tn; Coleman, Barrett, and Austin Carter of Birmingham, Al; Brian Carter (wife Morgan Pierson Carter) of Atlanta, Ga; John Carter (wife Samantha) of Grovetown, Ga; Caroline Gunter Wilson (husband Austin) of Greenville, SC; Michael Gunter of Birmingham, Al; and five great-grandchildren: Natalie Mulherin of St. Simons Island, Ga; Holloway Carter of Atlanta, Ga; Dawson and Caleb Bodie of Grovetown, Ga; and Karsyn Carter of Grovetown, Ga. He was looking forward to two additional great-grandchildren being added to the Carter family tree in the summer of 2025. 

Dr. Carter’s memory will be treasured by all who knew him. May his legacy of service and compassion bring solace to those who mourn his passing. 

Funeral services will be held on Saturday January 11, 2025, in the chapel of Thomas Poteet & Son, 214 Davis Road Augusta, Ga. Visitation will begin at 1:00 PM followed by a Celebration of Life at 2:00 PM officiated by Dr. David McKinley. The service may be viewed via livestream at https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTczNjQzMzg2MjM0NDcyNCZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==

The Carter family would like to personally thank the entire team at MSA Healthcare and Hospice services for the outstanding care they provided over the last few years. Also, many thanks to The Claiborne assisted living facility and their world class staff. 

In lieu of flowers, friends can donate to Warren Baptist Church of Augusta (www.Warren.church), the ministries of Dr. David Jeremiah (www.DavidJeremiah.org), or the Farm at Kings Creek ministry (www.TheKingsCreek.org).