William Dale Carrier

W. Dale Carrier, Sr., 90, passed away late Thursday night, September 8, 2022, due to natural causes. Mr. Carrier was born in Portland, Oregon to the late Ernest Carrier and Sarah Wilheim Carrier. Mr. Carrier was predeceased by his parents; his wife, Carleen Charlotte Seifert Carrier; brothers, James Carrier and Paul Carrier; son, Thomas B. Carrier; daughter, Deborah L. Carrier; and his grandson, Jason Carrier. He is survived by his sons, William D. Carrier, Jr. (Pam) of Mount Vernon, OH and Randy W. Carrier of Quinby, SC; daughter, Wendy C. Carmon of Florence, SC; 8 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren. Mr. Carrier was active in the Boy Scouts of America (B.S.A.) for most of his life. As a young man, he obtained their highest rank of Eagle Scout. As an adult, he served in the adult leadership roles of Cub Master, Scoutmaster, Merit Badge Counselor for multiple skill sets, Unit Commissioner, District Training Chairman, Scout Leaders Wood Badge Director, and multiple other positions. Mr. Carrier received the following B.S.A. Awards and honors; Order of the Arrow (OA) Vigil member; Distinguished District Commissioner Award; Silver Beaver Award; Lamb Award (Lutheran Scouting Religious Award for adult scouters); Scoutmaster Award of Merit; Cub Scouter Award (Pee Dee Area Council); James E. West, Fellowship Award Pee Dee Area Council; and was the B.S.A.’s Southeast Region, National Camp Staff, “Shooting Sports” Director, and University of Scouting Master’s Degree, Pee Dee Area Council. Mr. Carrier had a military career that spanned over 22 years of service to the United States of America. He joined the United States Air Force in July of 1950 and then transferred to the United States Army in September of 1951 (where he spent the rest of his military career). In 1963 Mr. Carrier became a member of the United States Army Special Forces, stationed out of Fort Bragg, NC. He served in multiple tours of duty in Vietnam before being severely wounded and rotated back to the states on permanent basis. He retired from the United States Army after 22 years with the rank of Master Segreant. Military awards and recognitions Mr. Carrier obtained during his military career include; Purple Heart; Air Medal; Soldier’s Medal for Heroism; Good Conduct Medal (7 times); Army Commendation Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters); Combat Infantry Badge; Master Parachutist Badge; Distinguished Rifleman Badge; President’s Top 100 Marksman in the Military designation; Excellence in Competition Pistol; and Special Forces Skyhook Course completion. Korean Service Award (3 Battle Stars); Republic of Korea, Presidential Unit Citation; United Nations Service Award; National Defense Service Medal (with Cluster); Vietnam Service Award (with 4 Battle Stars); Republic of Vietnam Combat (with 60 device); Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (with Palm); Civic Action Medal; and VNSF Jump Wings. Mr. Carrier was also an extremely active member of the Florence, SC community. His community services and outreach activities earned him the following awards and recognition; The Judge Ulysses Frieson Award from the Florence County Sheriff’s department in 2008; He was a charter member of the Florence, SC Masterworks Choir and actively sang with them for over 40 years. He was an active member (until his passing) of the Saint Luke Lutheran Church Choir in Florence, SC for over 50 years. Mr. Carrier served as the Grounds Maintenance Superintendent at Francis Marion University (originally Francis Marion College) for twenty years, transforming the landscape between buildings and the rest of the campus into the welcoming environment it is for students today. While enhancing the learning experience of hundreds of students, Mr. Carrier also earned a Bachelor of Science degree for himself. On Saturday, October 15th, 2022, the Carrier family will hold an open period from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at St. Luke Lutheran Church to receive friends wishing to meet and speak with the family. The memorial service will start at 11:00 AM in St. Luke Lutheran Church sanctuary. Following the memorial service, the family will hold a private graveside interment service.