St.
Clair County Obits
JOHN ELONZO CARPENTER
Unknown paper
John Elonzo Carpenter, age 83, Hollister, Mo, died Wednesday, July 18,
2001, at St. John’s Hospital, Springfield.
Jack was born May 28, 1918, on a farm near Collins, the son of William
Lovell and Mary Mae (Baumgarden) Carpenter. He grew to manhood in the
Collins area, moving to Marion County, Kan., as a young man of 17.
He met and married Esther Marie Seibel in Peabody, Kan., Aug 19, 1938,
at the First Baptist Church. They had two children, Judy Ann
(Carpenter) Litton and Dennis Lee Carpenter.
Jack worked as a farm laborer before starting to farm for himself in
Marion County. He farmed in conjunction with his father-in-law,
Charlie Seibel, and brother-in-law, Jesse Seibel. He was featured as a
“Farmer of the Week” in the local newspaper and was on the Peabody
Coop Board of Directors.
In 1954, Jack purchased an irrigation farm in Scott County, Kansas,
where they lived west of Hallow Water for 37 years. In later years, he
formed a partnership with his son, Dennis, which included farming and
custom ensilage cutting in the Scott County area and even cutting as
far away as Shreveport, La., for several years. Upon retirement, he
moved to Hollister, located on Lake Taneycomo. Jack lived there for 10
years before moving to Branson in July of this year.
In addition, he did custom carpentry work, built several homes in and
around Shallow Water, and worked on the construction of the Safeway
Grocery Store in Garden City, Kan.
Jack became a member of the Gospel Fellowship Church in Shallow Water,
Kan. He was on the board of directors for several years. When the then
current church building was built, he and Orvil Zink were in charge of
construction. Several years later, Jack’s daughter, Judy and her
husband, Larry, were the first to be married at the church. Jack and
Esther celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the church.
His leisure time was spent fishing and taking friends and family for
boat rides on the lake. All his life, his passion was farming, whether
he was actively farming or just enjoying driving in the country
looking at the fields and crops through the seasons. He believed in
helping his fellow man and contributed time and money to the Salvation
Army, Feed the Children, and he delivered meals for the disabled
seniors. Mr. Carpenter was often in attendance at the Senior Center in
Hollister.
Survivors include his wife, Esther; a daughter Judy; son, Dennis; six
grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; one brother, Vernon Carpenter
of Kansas City; sisters, Elsie Epperson of Collins, Ruth Hemenway of
Hermitage, and Ann Sheets of Dewey, Okla; one sister-in-law, one
brother-in-law; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and two sisters.
Submitted by Marie Reynolds
