Jon Nelson Carraway

Jon Nelson Carraway, aged 69, died Wednesday December 20, 2017, at Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Jon passed peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer. Jon was born on July 15, 1948 in Alton, Illinois and was the son of Jesse Lee Carraway and Violet Maxine (Waters) Carraway. He was raised in Boise, Idaho. He served in the United States Navy as an E4 Machinist Mate aboard the USS Edward McDonnell (DE1043) from September 1967 to September 1973. Jon met Roberta Jean McInnes in December of 1969 while stationed in Boston, Massachusetts. They married October 31, 1970 and settled in Merrimack, New Hampshire and raised their daughter, Jennifer, with Roberta’s family nearby. Jon drove tractor trailers for 10 years before starting Adco Sign Company in 1987. Jon sold his sign business in Merrimack and relocated his family to the warmer climate of Florida, eventually settling in Broward County and working throughout South Florida in the sign and plastics industries. Jon enjoyed an adventurous life with friends and family. His lifelong passion for anything with a motor was evident in the years spent building and racing motorcycles and cars, attending stock car races and car shows, and boating and jetskiing with friends and family. He had the thrill of completing the Baja 1000 race across the dessert with his brother and was an active member of the South Florida Riders jetski club. He regularly attended his granddaughters’ numerous events, including swim meets, cheerleading competitions, soccer and water polo games, and was always their biggest fan. He was a skilled handyman who enjoyed home projects and collecting tools. He was a devoted family man who took an early retirement to care for his mother-in-law in her later years. Jon was preceded in death by his parents and father-in-law, Robert McInnes. His mother-in-law Irene followed his passing by just 6 days. Jon is survived by his wife, Roberta of Sunrise, FL; his daughter, Jennifer Carraway Cook and her husband Michael of Cooper City, FL; his siblings Jay and his wife Teresa, Jana and her husband Jason, and Joe; his granddaughters Taylor Lindsay, Jordan Alyssa and Darby Catherine; and his nieces and nephews, Tiffany Cross, Tara L’Etoile and her husband Nick and their daughters Paige and Abby, Kate Potvin and her husband Chris and their daughter Wyatt, Tina Aveni, Duncan McInnes Jr., Andrea Walters and her husband Jay, Anthony Aveni, and Krista Carraway. A Celebration of Life church service will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2018 at 11:00 am at the Plantation United Methodist Church, 1001 Northwest 70th Ave, Plantation, FL. For family and close friends in New England, a small gathering of remembrance will take place on Saturday, January 13th from 1:00 to 4:00 at the Parker Village Clubhouse, 22 Stearns Lane, Merrimack, NH. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.