Carter Jon Thyes, born October 15, 2015, found his eternal peace on July 7, 2018 at his home away from home, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, wrapped in the loving arms of his parents.

Carter was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and spent most of his time hanging out with the staff of the cardiac intensive care unit at Children’s. He underwent numerous surgeries, battled an untreatable bacteria, lost the ability to eat and had to use a tracheostomy and ventilator to keep his one lung breathing and his fighting heart beating. But you would never know this little boy had anything bothering him. In his 2 ½ years, he had more smiles than frowns, more sparkle in his eyes than tears and more joy in his heart than sorrow. Without ever being able to say a word, he had taught the people who knew him how to love unconditionally and how to embrace hope. Carter’s larger than life smile would light up a room and could make even the darkest of days seem brighter. Everyone who had ever met Carter or has known of his courageous story, is a better person. The world has lost this brave little fighter, but the Heavens gained the brightest star in the sky.

Carter is survived by his loving and incredibly strong parents Jenny and Erik, as well as his amazing big brother Landon. He is further survived by his grandparents Greg and Mary Corbisier, MaryAnn and Steve Thomson, and Gary Thyes; great-grandmother Mary Rita Corbisier and great-grandparents Merle and Kathy Gilson; aunts and uncles Jaime and Sean DeBoth, Angie and Bill Juneau, Lee and Kathy Thyes, Mary Jo and Dave Moesch, and Sarah and Jack Edwards; cousins Maddigan, Ayden, and Bradey DeBoth, Kennedy Juneau, Leland Thyes, Jenna, Haley and Jackson Moesch, and Xavier and Cadance Edwards. Even further survived by many more great-aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends of the family.

Carter is preceded in death by his great-grandmothers Irene Gilson, Joyce Thyes and Luvena Belle Skudlark and great-grandfathers Marvin Corbisier, Leland Thyes and John Gutowski, as well as other extended family members.

Visitation will be held from 2:00 pm until 6:00 pm on July 12, 2018, at Calvary Lutheran Church, 1301 S. Ridge Road, Green Bay. A funeral service will be held at 6:00 pm at the church with Rev. Earl Vorpagel III officiating.

We would like to extend a special thank you to the entire staff of the West 3 Cardiac ICU at Children’s Hospital of WI and especially Carter’s nurses Emily, Rachel and Aubrey. Thank you for making his birthdays and holidays so special and for making our family feel so loved. You were champions in Carter’s care and were relentless in your devotion to him. We would also like to thank Carter’s nurses at home, Brenda and Tara. You took excellent care of him and will forever be in our hearts. In addition to his nurses, a heartfelt thanks to Dr. Michele Frommelt and Dr. Joshua Rankin for taking such amazing care of our sweet boy. You are both remarkable physicians and we will forever be indebted to your graciousness. For every person that had some hand in taking care of Carter, both in Milwaukee and Green Bay, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You were all a part of his story and will forever be the unsung heroes in our child’s life.

We would also like to thank all of our family, friends and even strangers for the tremendous amount of strength and support you have given Carter and us over the last 2 years. Your words of encouragement, prayers, donations, meals and endless love have made our journey with Carter even more special and there are not enough ways to ever repay your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Until we meet again, our sweet Bubbas, play. Run and play as freely as you want. Nothing can stop you, sweet boy. And keep smiling. Always keep smiling. For that smile has made our lives more beautiful.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Contributions may be made to Carter Thyes Memorial Fund at any Capital Credit Union location.

To share a memory of Carter or leave a message of condolence for his family, please click the Share Memories button above.