Clarence D. (Pops) Carter died peacefully on Jan. 10. He was 101. A well-known resident of Oak Bluffs, he spent his last months at Royal Falmouth Nursing & Rehabilitation Center.

He was born in Boston in 1920, shortly after his parents immigrated to America from Christ Church, Barbados, West Indies. He spent his early childhood in Roxbury. At nine years old, Clarence and his family moved to New York, living in Manhattan and the Bronx. Although he held many odd jobs as a youth to help support his parents and four younger siblings during the Great Depression, he completed junior high school in the Bronx.

Mature beyond his years and determined not to be defeated by the distressed economy of the times, Clarence worked alongside his father, a tenement building superintendent. He also shined shoes for five cents on city streets and worked as a presser in dry cleaning plants in New York city and later in Boston for 25 to 75 cents an hour. He also worked as a cook and waiter at Joe’s Oyster House, a restaurant in Boston owned by his cousin.

His innate business acumen, tenacity and strong work ethic attracted influential supporters and mentors. In the 1960s, he purchased a dry cleaning service in Dorchester and renamed it B & B Cleaners. He also owned homes in Dorchester and Randolph.

Clarence became a successful businessman and developed a strong following of customers throughout Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan. He also was principally responsible for financing and helping several individuals establish dry cleaning and laundry businesses in Roxbury and Dorchester. He retired at 66 years of age.

He was fun-loving, an avid reader and an engaging conversationalist who readily shared his experiences and insights with others whether they wanted it or not. Considered a renaissance man, Clarence enjoyed working with his hands and demonstrated adeptness as a finish carpenter, woodworker, and mechanic. He loved listening to the jazz greats of the 1930s through 1970s and was a huge boxing and wrestling fan. Steadfast yet optimistic by nature, he encouraged everyone he met, and especially his children, to take the initiative and excel in their chosen pursuits.

Clarence is survived by Betty Jewel, his wife of 67 years, of Oak Bluffs; his children: Joseph C. Carter and his wife Rae of Oak Bluffs and their daughter Emily and son in law Adam of Madison, Wis.; Dr. Miriam Onyebujoh, her husband Dr. Philip of Abuja, Nigeria and her daughters Thokozani and Nokukhanya; and Maria Hermantin and her husband Damien of Broken Arrow, Okla. and their children Marthyl, Rhonnelle, and Aunyes; and may nephews, nieces, in laws and other family members. He was predeceased by his brothers, Lyle of the United Kingdom and Ralph of Palm Coast, Fla., and his sisters Esther and Eleanor, both of New York city.

His family will hold a celebration of life service on Friday, June 10 at Chapman Funerals and Cremations in Oak Bluffs. Tentatively scheduled are a wake from 12 to 1 p.m., a service from 1 to 2 p.m. and a reception from 2 to 5 p.m.