Estelle Carter

Estelle A. Carter of Sandy, Utah, passed away peacefully at Lone Peak Hospital in Draper on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. In the months leading up to her passing, she was lovingly cared for in her apartment by devoted friends, many from her beloved Crescent 16th Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose visits brought her comfort and companionship.

Estelle was born April 21, 1975, in Long Beach, California to Stella Hester Carter. Estelle received a bachelor’s degree and worked as a news reporter. She also worked at KEB Enterprises, Deseret Industries, a funeral home, and various call centers.

Estelle was a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was baptized at the age of 27 in Suwanee, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Many of the members she came to know there became her life-long friends and she and her son, Xavier, followed a few of them to Utah. She always said she knew she and her son would be taken care of if they lived here and that Xavier would be given opportunities here that she didn’t feel he could have in other places.

Eventually settled in Sandy, Estelle was the perfect addition to our Sandy neighborhood. We needed her, and she needed us. To know her was to love her where she captured our hearts completely.

Fearless in her electric wheelchair, her “chariot”, she sped through the latter part of her life (and down the hallways and up the street) with a joy and determination that inspired us all. Wherever her battery could take her, she went, an unstoppable force.

She loved shoes and beautiful, colorful clothes were her delight, and she wore them with unmatched flair. Her smile lit up every room, disarming us with warmth and charm. She was striking, unforgettable, and demanded respect simply by being herself. Truly, she was one of a kind.

Estelle brought with her a touch of the South, a spirit of revival, and a testimony that strengthened everyone around her. She loved the scriptures, admired faithful priesthood holders, and rejoiced in the temple where she made sacred covenants with her Heavenly Father. Her faith was vibrant and unshakable.

She often told her friends that she had beaten cancer before and could do it again—that her blood might even be the cure for millions. Many believed her, and we became her cheerleaders as she defied the odds, living far longer than any of us could have imagined—two years beyond her second diagnosis.

Above all, Estelle loved Xavier. He was her boy, her heart, her everything. She fretted over him with the fierce devotion of a mother bear protecting her cub. Her son, Xavier, remembers that they lived in so many states that he couldn’t even remember them all. They would sometimes just hop in her little car and drive.

Her friends in the wards in Georgia and Sandy will never forget her. She will be deeply missed. Estelle moved us with her strength of character and her radiant spirit, leaving a space in our hearts that cannot be filled. Yet we know heaven is brighter, happier, and more joyful with her there.

Her son and her ward family wish to thank the hospital staffs at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City and Lone Peak Hospital in Utah for their caring and professional care. Due to her cancer, she was hospitalized many more times than she would have wished to have been. She was loved by many who were able to serve her in each hospital.

Estelle is survived by her son, Xavier Carter, of Salt Lake City, Utah. She is preceded in death by her mother, Stella, and her loving aunts.

Viewing to be held Friday, December 19th, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Jenkins-Soffe Funeral Home, 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, UT 84095. Graveside service and interment are to be at the Provo City Cemetery located at 610 S. State St., Provo, Utah. The graveside service is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. for those who would like to attend.