Carter Charles Tannehill

In Loving Memory of Carter Charles Tannehill

Carter Charles Tannehill, 81, of Lago Vista, TX went home to be with the Lord and was joyfully welcomed into heaven on August 31, 2025.

Carter was born on August 15, 1944 to Robert and Betty Tannehill in Somerset, PA. Growing up in the rural mountain communities of Pennsylvania gave him an appreciation for the beauty of nature and enjoyment of outdoor activities. Carter graduated from Hempfield Area Senior High School (Greensburg, PA) in 1962, having been a member of the Junior Engineering Technical Society and playing a character named “Wild-Bill Hickup” in the senior class play.

Carter obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University in 1966. He took a wrestling class and briefly considered pursuing a degree in Physical Education, but opted to foster that interest throughout his life by participating in recreational sports and teaching/coaching his three daughters and others in tennis, softball, soccer, basketball, and swimming, earning him the affectionate titles of “Mr. T” and “Coach Carter”. During his college summer breaks, Carter worked as a lifeguard at Koozer State Park in Somerset, PA; he could mimic a lifeguard whistle sound using only his mouth, and often joked that he had swallowed his whistle.

Carter went on to work in the natural gas processing industry for 52 years, including 40 years as a prominent member of the Gas Processors Association (now known as GPA Midstream) and 17 years of continued consulting and expert testimony services after his retirement as a Senior Principal from Purvin & Gertz, Inc. in 2001. He worked and lived in New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas, including Corpus Christi, El Paso, Houston, and Dallas. Carter was a well-known and respected expert in his field, receiving the 1999 Recognition Award from GPA Midstream for a career and relationships marked by integrity and a cooperative spirit. He developed cost curves for natural gas processing facilities that have been published in a bestselling textbook for teaching and reference by industry professionals and upper-level engineering students.

Carter started playing tennis in his 30s and became passionate about competing in and coaching the sport. He was a top-ranked senior division player in Texas, and received the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Texas Senior Spirit of Tennis Award in 2007 and 2016 which honors one male and one female player each year for their sportsmanship and enthusiasm, and for bettering the lives of seniors on and off the court.

After fully retiring in 2018, Carter spent more of his time playing and coaching tennis, hiking, and traveling and being active in his church and neighborhood communities with his wife, Lynn.

Family who will miss Carter every day until they see him again are: his wife Lynn Tannehill; Lynn’s sons, Joe Craig and his wife Michelle and their sons Zachary and Jaxon, and Justin Craig and his wife Melissa and their daughter Addisen; Carter’s “favorite oldest daughter” Chris and her husband Jim Jackson and daughters Emma (and husband James Bergin) and Natalie; his “favorite middle daughter” Shannon and her husband Lee Daniel and their children Jonathan, Piper, and Zander; his “favorite youngest daughter” Lisa; his first wife and the mother of his three girls, Janice Timko; and his brother and sister Jerry and Jan Tannehill and their families.

We are confident Carter is reunited with his beloved father Robert Tannehill, mother and stepfather Betty and Richard Crise, brother Shawn Tannehill, grandparents Charles and Ruby Tannehill, grandparents Edgar and Bessie Exline, aunt Dot Exline, and other family and friends who have arrived in heaven first.

In lieu of flowers and for those wishing to make a tax-deductible donation in Carter’s honor, please consider Grace Fellowship Church Lago Vista (https://www.gracelago.org/), USTA Foundation (https://www.ustafoundation.com/en/home/get-involved.html), or Hospice Austin (https:// www.hospiceaustin.org/get-involved/donate/).