Lisa-Maria Yvette Carter

Lisa-Maria Yvette Carter (AGE 57) of Bethesda, MD Lisa-Maria Yvette Baltimore Carter entered this world on September 1, 1965, in Washington, DC, the only daughter of Brenda Ann Baltimore. Although Lisa-Maria was an only child, she had plenty of cousins and extended family her age to play with at her grandmother's house. She attended several schools in DC and Prince George's County, including George Washington Carver Elementary School, Kenmore Junior High School in Landover, Maryland, and Bladensburg High School. While at Bladensburg, Lisa-Maria met Artis D. "Tony" Carter. They fell in love and had their daughter, JeanVette Nicole Carter in 1982. After graduating in 1983, they married and relocated to Alexandria, Louisiana, where Tony began his Air Force career. Lisa-Maria enjoyed the traveling life of being a military wife, which took her to Turkey, where she gave birth to a son, Artis D. "AD" Carter II, in 1988. They also spent some years in Colorado before returning to Prince George's County. Lisa-Maria loved to entertain friends and family at parties and cookouts. Throughout this time, Lisa-Maria balanced time between raising her children and pursuing her own educational and career goals. She earned a degree from the University of Phoenix and worked hard as an intelligence analyst for the FBI and Department of Justice. Lisa-Maria also had a passion for beauty. In addition to dressing well and adorning herself, she trained as a cosmetologist and opened a home salon for several years. Lisa-Maria was a woman of many talents, including a powerful alto voice. She began singing at the family church, Contee AME Zion, and other churches and social gatherings with her aunts Corinne Gantt and Erin Gantt. She also sang with the Howard University Gospel Choir for a short time. She even sang the National Anthem for more than 5,000 people at the opening night of Ringling Bros. circus in 1993. Attending church was a regular part of Lisa-Maria's childhood and gave her a strong Christian foundation for the rest of her life. As an adult, she attended various churches before becoming a member of S.G. Spottswood AME Zion Church in Capitol Heights, MD, and later, Refuge Church Ministries. During her later years, she served as a devotional leader in one of the facilities in Florida. In November 2010, Lisa-Maria's life was forever changed when a surgical error rendered her a quadri-amputee. She would spend the next 12 years living in rehabilitation facilities in Florida and Maryland while fighting for justice and compensation to allow her to live outside of facilities and enjoy as close to a normal life as possible. Lisa-Maria inspired so many people in these years as she learned to walk again using prosthetics. Her natural leadership abilities continued to shine through, and her fellow residents elected her president of the resident council. She dreamed of going back to school to become a psychologist and counsel veterans who had lost limbs in combat. Although she left us before she was able to complete these goals, her memory lives within us as long as we continue to tell the story of this amazing woman who refused to give up even when life dealt her awful circumstances. Lisa-Maria was preceded in death by her daughter, JeanVette Nicole Carter. She is survived by her mother, Brenda Baltimore; her son Artis D. Carter II, granddaughters Zoë Carter and Arya Carter; godchildren Keniya Love, Kamari McClendon, and Benjamin Crentsil; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Lisa-Maria did not like saying goodbye, so until we meet again on the other side, we say later! IBLSY Her memorial service is Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at Contee AME Zion Church., 903 Division Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20019 at 11:00am. Live streaming of the services will begin at 11:00am

Lisa-Maria Yvette Carter

September 1, 1965 - October 29, 2022