EDWARD F. CARPENTER
Marriages
Martha Cross - 1959
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel - September 3, 2009
Steamboat Today - September 13, 2009
Edward F. Carpenter passed away peacefully Sept. 1, 2009, at age 87. Ed was born in Hayden on Jan. 27, 1922, to Farrington and Eunice Carpenter. He grew up on the family ranch, attended local schools until high school and graduated from The Asheville School in Asheville, N.C. He continued his education at Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering in 1947. During WWII, he served in the Army as a motor pool officer in the Aleutian Islands (1943-46). After college graduation, he opened a civil engineering practice in Northern California, focusing on water-related projects. After meeting Martha Cross in church in 1959, they married and raised their four children in addition to Ed's two sons from a prior marriage. The family moved to Grand Junction in 1974, where he continued his engineering work. Throughout the years, Ed showed a devotion to public service. Some of the organizations he lent his talents to were Rotary Club, Panorama Improvement District, Redlands Water and Power Co., American Society of Civil Engineers, Colorado Cattlemen's Association, Colorado Hay and Forage Association, Club 20 and First Presbyterian Church, as well as twice being elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. His lifelong love of music and Western history led him to singing at family celebrations, directing church choir and performing at cowboy poetry gatherings. He is survived by his loving wife, Martha Carpenter; a brother, Willis V. Carpenter, of Denver; a sister, Rosamond Garcia, of Hayden; sons John Carpenter of Bellingham, Wash.; and Dan Carpenter, of Salt Lake City; daughters, Amy Sanford, of Forest Grove, Ore.; Jean Butcher, of Colorado Springs; and Jan Bradford, of Golden; 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Evan Carpenter, of Spotsylvania, Va. His voice will be remembered for its strength, conviction and underlying love. Contributions can be made in Ed's name to Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, www.hospicewco.com. A memorial service was held at The First Presbyterian Church in Grand Junction on Sept. 8, 2009.
