Jan. 5, 1963 - Jack Carson (pictured in 1955), the fourth Hollywood star to die of cancer in 18 days, was eulogized today as “a big man with a big heart that was open and always available to everyone.” Dr. Raymond Lindquist, pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church, told 150 mourners at the funeral services in Forest Lawn, Calif., that the 52-year-old performer also was a “religious man with a mystical streak in him.” “He believed that God had put a spark of response in every man and that it was man’s purpose to discover it, use it, and nourish it.” The funeral for the affable Carson was held exactly 24 hours after rites for actor-producer Dick Powell, 58, who followed him in death by five hours Wednesday. Carson kept his illness a secret from most of his associates during the final two months of his life. Dr. Lindquist recalled that the Christmas cards sent out by Carson last month depicted the Last Supper and carried a message reading, “Hope, Peace, and Good Will for now and always.”
