William Gerald Carpenter
December 11, 1930 - December 20, 2017
Obituary
William (Bill) Carpenter passed away December 20, 2017 at the age of 87. Born in Emmetsburg Iowa to Mary and Gordon Carpenter. Bill grew up in a large and boisterous family of 10 siblings. Bill was a high school football star, playing on the varsity team as a freshman. Bill played both offense and defense. He went on to Emmetsburg Junior college after high school and continued to play football as a punter but due to a knee injury in high school requiring several surgeries, his playing time was very limited. Bill continued to have a passion for sports his entire life.
In 1952, Bill met Alice Joy Iden, his soulmate of 65 years. While he was stationed in Tacoma Washington as a member of the US Navy he continued to court Alice, undoubtedly using his charm and good humor. A year later, they were married.
Bill proudly served in the Navy during the Korean Conflict, from 1951 – 1955 where he gained recognition and accolades for his contribution to Operation Castle. He spent his first two years in Tacoma with the “Ball Fleet” as he called it (playing baseball). The next two years saw more action as he was stationed in Pearl Harbor, on the destroyer, USS Philip. His ship served to escort aircraft carriers to Japan and Korea. Bill was a Machinist 3rd Class and was near the Marshall Islands, when six nuclear bombs were detonated underwater destroying an island.
Once bill served his four years in the Navy, he and Alice made their home in Seattle, WA., where they raised their three daughters, Kathleen, Colleen and Maureen. Family vacations were spent traveling back to his roots for the Carpenter reunions. There Bill laid the foundation for his children to connect with their many cousins that would remain a special part of their lives forever.
Bill and Alice enjoyed a job well done raising three children and once all were out of the house, they settled into retired life. They loved camping, fishing, working in their park-like gardens and spending more of their time with family, including grandchildren, great grandchildren, and later in life, great-great grandchildren.
Bill never lost his passion for sports and enjoyed sharing with his loved ones. Most Sundays, you would find him watching his beloved football. Two TV’s and a radio cranked up broadcasting different games throughout the day and Bill could follow them all. Always number one in his heart however, were the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Eventually Bill and Alice moved from their West Seattle home to Kent. There they spent the next seven years getting to know their new community and every “mom and pop” restaurant there was. Eating out became the new favorite pastime. Eventually, due to health reasons, life came full circle again and these two lovebirds moved back to West Seattle, making Providence Mt. St. Vincent their new home.
Bill will be remembered for his quick wit and humor, and his talent for story-telling. He was a master of dates, names, events and punchlines. He delivered these cherished stories with such great detail and care. Anyone who listened would instantly be captivated. He had us laughing all the way to the end.
Dad, you have always been my HERO and always will be. To tell you I will miss you is an understatement. You were everything to me. You were kind, dependable, patient, loving, honorable and supportive beyond words.You taught us what family is and should be. You were the best storyteller there was and I always was in awe of how you could remember every name and detail. You also taught us what a relationship should be with the one you love. You and mom had a special bond that just could not be broken. I live by that today. The only comfort I have in your passing is that you are reunited with mom. I know how hard it has been for you with her gone.Rest in peace dad and give mom a huge hug for me. Know that I will miss and love you for eternity.
dad, you have always been to me a person who is admired or idealized for courage , outstanding achievements, or noble qualities, which just happens to be the meaning of hero. to me you are and always were just that. you loved me and you loved your family. what more could a daughter ask for. you were there always. you had that smile that lit up a room . your stories of your childhood made us all laugh and we all loved to here them time and time again, being part of the iowa family made us who we are today. i miss you dad and always will. my heart is so sad that you had to go, but i know you are with mom and your family now, smiling healthy and telling lots of stories,
i love you,
maureen
Gramps,
You were and always will be in my thoughts. Your smile and humor were the greatest. I will miss your navy stories and your many stories from your days as a draftsman. I enjoyed those and you told them in a way that made you feel like I was right there with you. I will cherish the golf and fishing memories and how you were probably the worst fisherman I have ever been around, but even though you couldn’t catch a fish if I put it on your hook for you, you did it all with that awesome grin you always had. I miss you and will always miss you, but I have comfort knowing you are with your brothers again sitting around telling each other how you were al the greatest athletes ever to grace Emmetsburg, Iowa. God himself is wearing ear muffs and bullshit boots. You were an amazing grandfather and someone I will and always admire. I love you gramps. R.I.P gospel Bill.
Grandpa Bill, even though I only had four years to get to know you I felt like you were my Grandpa. I loved our conversations about when you played ball when you were younger and watching you fish with Michael when we came to visit. I promise that Michael will grow up knowing who you were to the family. You are greatly loved and we will miss you forever.
Love,
Sheena & Michael
RIP uncle Bill. I always looked forward to your visits when you came back for the Carpenter reunions. Heaven has got to be noisy with most of your brothers and your two sisters up there. Hopefully grandpa can keep you all in line.
I cannot recall a time with you where a smile was not present on your face. Whether it was a quick visit to say hello or a casual dinner that lasted for hours, I was always treated with an exciting story from your past. I will never forget your witty jokes, passion for life and positive attitude. You were an incredible man and will always be missed.