In 2014 we celebrated my oldest daughter's 10th birthday by throwing an elaborate Harry Potter party.  Most of the family joined in as a character.  My favorite transformation was Carr.  Naturally, I cast him as the spectacularly handsome blonde teacher that all the girls were in love with.  He wasn't as theatrical as the rest of the family, and wasn't familiar with the story.   So, in true Carr form, he did background research beforehand and invested in the right tools for the job.  While most of us were wearing old curtains and repurposed Halloween costumes, Carr dazzled in the most spectacular tailored costume, complete with purple cloak and a garish wig.

The children were divided into the 4 Hogwarts "Houses" and rotated 15 minutes at each of 4 classes.  Carr was the "Defense Against the Dark Arts" teacher, but because he had done his research, knew his character would be spending most of the time talking about himself.  The best sport of the day, Carr spent an hour entertaining children with tales of his greatness while forcing them to pose with autographed pictures of himself.  

We decorated his classroom with pictures I took of Carr earlier in the day. I will always treasure that photo shoot with Carr.  It was a silly idea - Gilderoy Lockhart was a vain character, so we just filled the room with different over-the-top poses of himself.  Carr was a sweet combination of embarrassed and serious all the while making the perfect poses for the character.  One of the frames we used still holds the picture of Carr - I was never able to reuse the frame because it was just too perfect.  It makes me giggle whenever I see it.  It was a perfect day and he was such a big part of it.

Carr was an amazing brother-in-law and Uncle.  I have some great memories of events and moments with him, but it's his general presence that I will treasure the most as I hold on to who he was.  I will miss the way he moved his hands and rocked from foot to foot.  I will miss him poking the fire and fetching drinks from the fridge. I'll miss the way he stood tall and leaned back when he opened a bottle and how he cracked a lobster claw with such intentionality .  I'll miss him calling the kids "germ sacks" while spoiling them on the side.  I'll miss the way he always reached over to his right shoulder to straighten or pull some invisible thing down.  Just being around Carr being Carr was enough.  I will never stop missing the little things his presence brought to our family when were all together.  I thank God for the time we had and trust in the promise of the resurrection and the day we will all be reunited.

Weekends with Carr at his parent’s beautiful home in Greenwich are a fixture of my childhood memories.  Steve and Barbie were parents like no other.  I can remember Steve hitting baseballs to Carr, Werner, and me for hours, afternoons on the boat, and epic games of manhunt with the unforgettable backyard zip line.  The Kratovil home was a place where it was fun to be kid.  It was such a warm and loving home that I was eager to return.  I will always remember Carr as my most energetic friend, always bouncing off the nearest wall.  Carr was a friend to me early in high school during a difficult time, and he was someone whose energy and discipline I envied.  I am so sad to hear that he has passed.  Please know that the Lofberg’s are sending their love and prayers to the Kratovil family.  

Kristi, My heart breaks for you. I regret not ever having a chance to meet Carr. From the other testimonials, he sounds like an absolute gem. I hope and pray the best for you. Godspeed.

We were lucky to go to college with Kristi and then fortunate to get to know Kristi and Carr as an amazing couple several years ago.  We were blessed to be able to call the Kratovils friends and family; cherishing all the memories we made together.  Carr was as willing to debate with Brian as he was pitch in on any project we had going on.  He was Uncle Carr to the girls and someone who we all genuinely loved.  Cheers to a wonderful man who brought love and life wherever he went.  Broken-hearted to say good-bye but grateful for the time we all shared together.  Here’s hoping his eternal golf game and the 19th hole treat him well.  Love to all who loved him - especially his beautiful wife, Kristi

I met Carr (“KH”) in Officer Candidate School a little over 15 years ago. I didn’t know him well, but he had the kind of personality that draws people to him. He was fun, happy and always had a smile on his face. It was contagious. 

About a year later, I was out in Corpus Christi, TX on a Friday night. I looked across the room and saw KH standing at the other end of the bar.  He had flown into town for the weekend on a cross country for training. He was out with his instructor pilot (IP) and as soon as we waved high, he came over and said “Yes! Can I please hang out with you instead of my IP this weekend?” We high fived and proceeded to enjoy the evening. A bunch of us went back to my apartment complex and, of course, rushed the pool area. Exactly what normal people do at 0100. I eventually made it back to my room on the second floor and who knows how many hours later, I woke up to a shivering Carr banging on my window. “Did you just scale my balcony?” I asked in pure awe and amazement. Tired and bleary eyed, he nodded and wandered over to the couch. In the morning, we recapped and hazily remembered that he fell asleep on the pool chair and somehow, defying gravity, located and climbed my balcony! Impressive but totally Carr. He always made things fun. 

The next evening we went out in downtown Corpus. Albeit, not the nicest neighborhood. After a fun night, we returned to my car only to find my back window broken. The burglars stole NOTHING of mine but found their way into my trunk and stole ALL of KH’s  belongings. His flight suits. His boots. And like the good student he was...his ~10lb NATOPS manual. Let’s be honest, he was lugging that around but was never going to open it. Anyway, all of it was gone. We stared in shock, but he just shrugged and said “that’s a bummer”. After a night of stressing over his lost gear, I was sick with guilt and worry for him. How would he fly home the next day? He needed all his stuff. Why did they have to steal HIS gear? Why not my awesome collection of mix tapes? The next day, I was still wracked with guilt as I dropped him off at his IP’s place. The whole time, he was happy, joking, and not the least bit worried. He was making ME feel better when it should’ve been the other way around. I’ll never forget his amazing attitude. Even when he faced the wrath and endless heckling from his IP, he still had a smile on his face. I always looked up to him for that. He was the most fun-loving, goofy, and gregarious person I’ve met. His signature popped collars, hanging sunglasses and preppy attire always set him apart.  Just two weeks ago, we were laughing about this story as we recounted it for his beautiful wife, “the Doctor Lady” (how he lovingly referred to Kristi). She gave me a hug and we all shook our heads as if to say “this would only happen to Carr”. 

In all seriousness, I’m so grateful for that hug and for the amazing memories I have of KH. From the early OCS days to cross country shenanigans to our time as FRS Instructors, he was a shining beam of light in any room. I have never met a single person who has anything but awesome things to say about him. Carr was a phenomenal Naval Officer, NFO, mentor, and friend. His leadership and expertise made him a person I was proud to see on the Command list. I miss you, dear friend. You mean the world to me and so many people. Your legacy will live on. You will never be forgotten.