Dr. Locke Yancey Carter

Dr. Locke Yancey Carter, beloved physician, husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2026, surrounded by his family. Born on July 28, 1936, at Holston Valley Community Hospital in Kingsport, Tennessee, he was the son of Clara Locke Yancey Carter and Edward Herbert Carter. Medicine shaped his life from an early age. His grandfather, Dr. Thomas Bragg Yancey, was one of the first physicians in Kingsport and the first President of the Medical Staff at Holston Valley Community Hospital. As a boy, Locke accompanied his grandfather on house calls and hospital rounds, experiences that inspired his own calling to medicine.

He graduated from Dobyns-Bennett High School in 1954, attended Davidson College, and earned his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine in 1962. After serving as a Captain in the United States Army Medical Corps, he completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Cardiology at Emory University Hospitals. In 1968, Dr. Carter returned to Kingsport and entered private practice, devoting more than three decades to caring for the community he loved. He helped establish the hospital’s first Coronary Care Unit, placed the first pacemaker at Holston Valley, and played a central role in bringing cardiovascular surgeons to the area so that open-heart surgery could be performed locally. He was also instrumental in establishing the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University and later served on its faculty, mentoring future physicians.

Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Carter was remembered for his deep love of family, faith, and hometown traditions. He married his high school sweetheart, Janet Carpenter Carter, after they began dating at ages sixteen and fourteen. Together they created a life centered on family and community. He rarely missed a Dobyns-Bennett football game, hosted friends and family afterward for fried chicken and ham biscuits, and faithfully traveled to Knoxville to cheer for the Tennessee Volunteers. He enjoyed weekly golf with close friends, evenings of music and dancing with Janet, and cherished family gatherings at Nedalocke Farm, the family lake house on Boone Lake, and their longtime beach trips to Pawley’s Island.

Dr. Carter was preceded in death by his parents, Clara and Ed Carter, and his brothers, Alex Carter and Ned Carter. He is survived by his beloved wife, Janet Carpenter Carter; his children, Yancey Carter (Ruthie), Clark Carter (Kimberly), and Angela Carter Zion (Brett); his grandchildren, Will Duncan (Jessie), Christopher Zion (Tori), Clara Zion, Blake Carter, and Caroline Carter; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.