Memories of James Charles Carpenter

In memory of

James Charles Carpenter

Mesa, AZ, USA

September 30, 1941 - December 10, 2020

Sep 30, 1941 - Dec 10, 2020

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Linda McKay

They say that all good things must end and that nothing lasts forever. But some people seem that they’ll just go on and on. Jim was one of those people. He said that he’d live to one hundred and he really tried….just like he tried everything…with all of his might. And he was a strong man. It seemed that he could do almost anything and I think that he thought that he could.
I remember when someone would ask him how he was and he would say, “If I was any better, there’d have to be two of me.” That was his attitude toward life; cautiously optimistic, often frustrated, just like all of us, but with the optimism usually winning out.
Jim loved the Air Force. It seemed that the years he spent in the Air Force were some of his proudest and most memorable times. He told many stories of adventure, of his friends and amazing experiences. He repeated some of them many times, which was fine because we couldn’t help but get swept up in the stories the way he told them.
His take on things was always entertaining and, with his unique outlook on life, always interesting. Told with such enthusiasm that we all enjoyed listening. They could light up the imagination and often make us laugh.
So often, Vicki would call on a Friday or Saturday and invite us to dinner because Jim was making stew or spaghetti or just hot dogs on the grill. Many nice evenings were spent just talking and watching TV at our house or theirs…..always involving cookies or brownies and coffee…when we could all still drink coffee late and still sleep that night.
Of course, Jim had a temper….especially when it came time to hang the lights on the Christmas tree. I think Vicki breathed a sigh of relief when the pre-lit trees came out. Home improvements could bring out the testy side of him, too. But he kept at it until it worked. He was a perfectionist in some ways, but not in others….like all of us. He hated a lot of the movies we liked and wasn’t afraid to say what he thought and disagree….on movies and a lot of other things.
When I heard the sad news that Jim had had to give up, whether he wanted to or not and leave this place, the picture that kept running through my mind was of Jim and the kids in the pool at their house. He loved all kids, but of course, Cassie and Jenny were so dear to him. I remembered him throwing those little girls, who were about eight or nine at the time into the water. He’d stand in the pool and lift them up and pitch them up high and into the water. They loved it, so he did it over and over until he couldn’t do it any more.
When I hugged Jenny and Cassie for the first time in over a year, it was at a very sad time. I whispered in Jenny’s ear, “You had a wonderful dad.” She replied, “I know.” We all knew Jim as a wonderful dad, husband, brother, uncle and great friend. And, for me, a great brother-in-law.
We’ll all miss the fun and love of life that Jim shared with us. It’s so hard to believe that he’s really gone and that that good thing did come to an end. But he leaves a family that loves him, friends that will miss him and a world made brighter because of him. In that way, and in so many happy memories, he’ll always be with us.

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