William Carpenter

When you think of William Carpenter, think of him sitting in his tree stand or trout fishing on the banks of the Pine River, fully absorbed in the quietness and solitude of nature. Remember his immense passion for hunting and fishing and how excited he was to share this love with his children. William Carpenter entered the world in the early 1940s, a time of war and great patriotism. He was born on May 28, 1941, in Muskegon, Michigan, to proud parents, Walter and Inez Carpenter. William grew up an only child, and was well provided for by his parents, who both worked outside the home; his father was an electrician and his mother worked for Consumer Power. William met his first wife, Sharon, in high school, and they were married for many years and had three wonderful children: Allen, Evan and Belinda. However, their marriage later ended in divorce when the kids were all teenagers. After some time, William married his second wife, Bonnie, and they shared many years together before also divorcing. Although William never married again, he found companionship with his lifelong friend, Karen Rossman, who he initially met through his first wife, Sharon. Over the years, he and Karen kept in contact and after his divorce from Bonnie, they reconnected once again and enjoyed spending time together. William was an avid outdoorsman with a tremendous passion for hunting and fishing. In fact, in his mind, opening day for trout fishing and deer season was national holidays and his kids could take the day or even the week off of school to go hunting and fishing with him. When William wanted to get away from the busyness of life, he headed to the forests along Pine River, where he found solitude and refuge in his tree stand. And if he spotted another blind or hunter nearby, he moved his stand to have that privacy. To be up in the tree overlooking nature or on the banks of the river reeling in the trout life could get no better for William! Knowing how much his father loved hunting, Allen, Williams oldest son, took him hunting one last time early this year, where he could find this great comfort once again. Besides his love for the outdoors, William was passionate about his work too. He was a Model Maker for Bennett Pump Company for 39 years, and his work was always meticulously done. William didnt just do things he did them to perfection! In his leisure time, when he wasnt out hunting or fishing, he loved to do some bird watching in his own backyard; he had bird feeders everywhere. William became quite knowledgeable about birds doing this. William didnt waste his time watching TV, but instead he would listen to his police scanner or sit by the fire, perhaps daydreaming of being out in the woods again. William had an obsession for maps, which intrigued his engineer mind, and when it came to his favorite food, it was mashed potatoes and gravy from Lees. William was a down to the earth kind of guy and didnt have flashy things in his life to draw attention to himself. He was known to always speak his mind, whether it was good, bad or ugly, and he pretty much knew from his first impression if he liked someone or not. And he made sure you knew it too! For William, everything had its proper place. His place in life was in the forest and on the water, and with his family, two things that filled his 67 years with love and joy. William Douglas Carpenter, age 67, died on Thursday, July 10, 2008. He is survived by his sons: Allen (Mary) Carpenter of Muskegon, Evan (Sharon) Carpenter of IL; daughter, Belinda Carpenter of MO; grandchildren: Howard, Jonathon (Heather) & Adam of Muskegon, Jacob & Mallory Carpenter of IL; mother, Inez Carpenter; and lifelong friend, Karen Rossman. A memorial gathering will take place on Sunday, July 13, at 6:00 p.m. at Clock Chapel of Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Fruitport. Interment will be at Rockford Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Harbor Hospice-Poppin House. Please visit Williams memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory with his family or sign his online guest book.