Carleton Burtt Obituary

Carleton Davis Burtt WALTERBORO - Carleton Davis Burtt died peacefully in Colleton Medical Center, Walterboro, SC on December 7, 2020. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, January 18, 1935, to Harold and Gertrude Burtt, he grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His half-brother William Burtt, a World War II fighter pilot, his sister Barbara Scott, and his grandson Declan Meltzer predeceased him. A graduate of Harvard College, Carleton had an accomplished career as a financial services professional, with positions at Kidder, Peabody & Company in London, and J.M. Hartwell & Company and The Equitable Life Assurance Society in New York. He served on the board of the Pennsylvania Physicians Risk Retention Group, the World Resources Institute in Washington DC, and the National Sculpture Society in New York, Pennsylvania. He also served as a trustee for the Muskiwinnie Foundation and several New York families. He brought his passion for creative, sustainable investment and visionary philanthropy to everything he did. In retirement with local partners, he formed Southeastern Solar Development that proposed solar energy installations for the City of Walterboro and the Colleton County School District to greatly reduced energy costs. He supported numerous community organizations, including the Colleton County Library, the Colleton Country Historical and Preservation Society, Friends of the Animal Shelter and the Arts Council with his expertise, time and donations. He was a devoted father and grandfather, an avid and talented golfer, and an insatiable reader. He formed a reading group in Walterboro that persisted for years, first in the Library and then in his home He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Mary Ann Nicoll Eriksen Burtt, his children, Shelley Burtt Meltzer, Forbes Burtt, Tina Burtt Coyle, and Melissa Burtt Smith, and stepdaughters, Helene Eriksen and Maria Eriksen Mitchell. He also has 11 grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Carleton's intellectual curiosity, profound optimism and love for life made an indelible mark on all who knew him; his legacy reflects his favorite phrase, "Life is good." His family is establishing the Carleton Burtt Memorial Trees of Life Fund in his honor to support planting trees in Walterboro. The family will hold a Memorial Service when such gatherings can be held safely again. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston