Remembering Carver Sr.
Carver was born April 8, 1953 in Washington, D.C., the fourth of five children of the late Robert & Gladys Ealy.
Carver spent a significant portion of his childhood in Mullins, South Carolina with his dearly departed grandmother Sarah Reaves, aunt Halestine and Uncle Cephas, known to the family as “Sonny Boy”. Carver worked hard throughout high school and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from South Carolina State University.
​Shortly upon graduation Carver received a job offer that relocated him from Mullins, South Carolina to Louisville, Kentucky where he met, and in time, married Sherrie Green. They had one child, Carver’s namesake, who many affectionately know as “Dougie”. Although they eventually ended their marriage, Carver demonstrated his resolve to build a better life for his son than he experienced as a child himself and over the course of this millennium, redefined the appearance and function of the term “family” alongside Sherrie and Alvin Bethea, a friendship that benefited from deep roots all the way until his final days.
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Carver was a hard-working man who believed in earning his keep and demonstrating his merit. He served as management in the State of Kentucky’s Cabinet of Human Services for over three decades and was a proud 27-year veteran of the 100th Division of the United States Army, attaining the rank of Sergeant First Class. Carver was physically active his entire life and enjoyed spending time playing recreational sports, going downtown to walk the Big Four Bridge, and working out in the gym; it was not uncommon to see him running alongside many of the busy streets of the Buechel area. Never one to embrace stagnancy, Carver found ways to utilize his gifts and interests in his community. He was an active member of the Louisville branch of the NAACP and a devoted member of St. Stephen Baptist Church, where he soon found a place serving regularly on the audio-visual team until his health would no longer permit him to do so. In retirement Carver enjoyed solo travel, road tripping all along the east coast, returning home to South Carolina, visiting family in Florida, and especially spending time in large metropolises such as Baltimore and New York City. Although his physical presence will be missed his memory will live on through the thousands of captured moments that Carver took over the years, a loving trademark that many stories share in common, knowing that “Carver and that camera” were never hard to spot in a crowd.
Carver Sr. filled every moment of his 71 years of life with determination, passion, a devotion to his family, and love. On Sunday, January 26, 2025 God turned his nightly sleep into eternal rest, and although he will be sorely missed we take comfort in the peace that God has provided and the countless memories we have to cherish. Carver is infinitely loved and championed by his son, Carver (Douglas) Jr., daughter-in-law Brittney, granddaughter Cadence, and his forever family, Sherrie and Alvin Bethea.
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Carver is preceded in death by his grandmother Sarah Reaves, his parents Robert Sr. and Gladys Ealy, his uncle “Sonny” Cephas Reaves, aunt Halestine Pendarvis, and his siblings Deborah, Toney, and Robert Ealy.
He will be dearly missed by his loving sister, Patricia Lane (Calvin), cousins Sandra Pendarvis, Jacqueline Kelly, Mary Linda Foxworth, and Oretta Williams; nephews and nieces Teneshia Baisden-Tigner (Fred), Terrance Baisden (Stephanie), Kashaka Harris (James), Sekou Ealy (Tiara), Andre Sellers, and Toney Ealy Jr. (Terrye), as well as a host of extended family and friends.
