COL Joseph Carter Lucas, USA (Ret.)

Colonel Joseph Carter Lucas, USA (Ret.), passed away on June 18, 2025, at Freedom Square Assisted Living Facility in Seminole, Florida. He was 87 years old. Joe was born on July 28, 1937, in Magdelene, Florida, to Christine Turner. At three months of age, he was adopted by Nikki and Joe Lucas of Charleston, South Carolina, who were living in Jacksonville at the time. When he was nine, the family returned to Charleston, where Joe was raised as their only child, cherished and guided with warmth, discipline, and love.

Joe was admired by his friends and classmates. He played football at St. Andrew's High School and upon graduation attended Tulane University for a year on a Naval ROTC scholarship before receiving an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1960, launching a distinguished career that spanned nearly 30 years and took him across the globe.

While visiting home in Charleston, Joe met Marjorie Herbert, a blond beauty, whose aunt and uncle lived next door. The connection was immediate and enduring. They married in 1961 and built a life rooted in love, faith, and partnership, raising two children, Shand and Carter.

Joe served two combat tours in Vietnam and held assignments in Germany, Panama, Spain, and throughout the United States. He earned a master’s degree in Spanish from Middlebury College and returned to West Point to teach in the Department of Foreign Languages. Known for his intellect, leadership, and humor, he also held several additional advanced degrees and was highly respected among his peers.

Among his many military honors were the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, three Bronze Stars, the Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Air Medal, three Purple Hearts, three Army Commendation Medals, the Ranger Tab, and the Parachutist Badge.

After retiring from the Army in 1988 at MacDill Air Force Base, Joe and Marjorie settled in St. Petersburg, Florida, where they embraced life on the water. Joe earned a master’s in accounting from the University of South Florida, and he co-founded a successful CPA firm, Bird Lucas & Co. applying the same commitment and integrity to civilian life as he had in uniform. He was a longtime member of the Northeast Exchange Club and attended Riviera United Methodist Church for many years where he loved teach adult Sunday school classes.

Known for his sharp wit and infectious humor, Joe had a joke for every occasion. His warmth and comic timing brought joy to those around him and created memories that will be treasured by all who knew him.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Nikki and Joe Lucas; his birth mother, Christine Turner Tillery; his sister Frances Powers; and his brother Harvel “Bud” Mackey, Jr.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Marjorie; daughter Shand (Bill); son Carter (Kay); grandchildren Chas (Amanda), Andrew (Melisa), Margie (Josh), Rachel, and Max; great-grandchildren Will, Harris, Noa, and Wyatt;sister-in-law Frances LaRoche (Tom); brother-in-law Rembert Herbert (Becky); and sisters Shirley Jackson (Doug), Debbie Starkey (Mike), and Charlotte Lemley (Charlie).

The family would like to thank the staff at Freedom Square, his caregivers and physical therapist for their wonderful devotion to him.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street N., St. Petersburg, Florida. Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m., with the service to follow at 11:30 a.m. Burial will take place at a later date in Charleston, South Carolina.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, causes close to Joe’s heart.