Paul C. Carter, age 72, of Lexington Massachusetts, passed away on April 15, 2020. Paul is survived by his beloved wife, Cris, for whom he was a devoted and caring husband for 49 years. He was a loving father to his cherished daughters Carissa, of Redwood City, California, and Stephanie, of Berkeley, California, and his much loved sons-in-law, Ty and Jason. Truly the lights of his life were his grandchildren, Desmond, Dante, Teo, and Jada – they adored their 'grandpadoo'. His dear mother, Jane, and his siblings, Connie, Bob, Jim, Chuck, Tim, Tom and Mike also survive him.

Paul outsmarted multiple myeloma for 19 years, and ultimately left us after a hard-fought battle with bacterial meningitis and heart troubles. His body is no longer with us, but his spirit will be with us forever.

Paul was born in Buffalo, New York, to Jane T. Carter and the late Chester E. Carter. He graduated from the University of Buffalo's School of Pharmacy, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard's specialty school for Endodontics. He established a dental specialty practice in Chelmsford, MA, practicing for over 27 years. He loved sharing the practice with his brother, Tim, and had many lasting close friendships from dental school and with many of the dentists in the area. His superb skill, decency and trademark sharp wit were constants.

Paul loved traveling to exotic places with his family, and he treasured his recent years traveling the world with his wife and close friends, and also visiting with his grandchildren in California at every opportunity. He was a caring provider, a loving and supportive husband, and received endless joy from playing and chatting with his grandkids.

Plants always listened to Paul. He had such a strong aptitude for gardening and his flower and vegetable gardens always overflowed in color and crops. He collected cuttings from plants grown around the globe, and then nurtured them in his lush and fragrant greenhouse. All his plants told a story, and they all enjoyed his company.

He devoted much time and energy fundraising for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and supporting its charity events. He was always touched and proud by the huge number of friends and family that turned out in Team Carter shirts every spring to walk and run together in the MMRF Annual Walk for Research. Those who could not attend in person proudly sported their shirts from afar. Ultimately, he raised many hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cause and every year, because of the generosity of his family and friends, he received an award as the top individual fundraiser.

He enjoyed his book club buddies, his 'man-dates' and his many friends in the Old Res Yacht Club. He had dear friends from all walks of life, and he was always ready and willing to lend a generous, helping hand to charitable causes.

A celebration of Paul's life, full of colorful, seasonal flowers, will be held at a later date, hopefully in the fall. In the interim, visit his spirit in the blooms around you, say hello to him in your gardens, and remember his love in your hearts and stories.