Thomas Carpenter

Thomas Earl Carpenter, Sr., died Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at Vanderbilt MICU. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Ethel Carpenter; a son, Thom Carpenter, Jr.; brothers, Charles Carpenter, Frank Wilson, Donald Carpenter and Willie Carpenter; and sisters, Nona Coleman, Louise Stone and Anne Jenkins.
Survived by his wife, Mildred R. Carpenter; children, Stephanie (Charles) Hill, Emily Judd and Laurale (Steven E.) Curtsinger; grandchildren, Graylan (Jamie) Douglas, Ashley (Zach) Hanson, Jessi (Will) Fulton, Katie Hill, Cory Curtsinger, Hannah Curtsinger, Lauren Curtsinger and Malia Curtsinger; great-grandchildren, Lydia Hill, Aidan Hill, Connor Fulton, Emerald Daley, Thomas Douglas, Sarah Crouch, Caleb Douglas and Michael Hanson; brothers, John, Wallace and Claude Carpenter; and a sister, Frances Brent.
Thomas served in the U.S. Navy. He was a graduate of Duke University and Vanderbilt/Peabody. Mr. Carpenter was a teacher and businessman retired from the United Methodist Publishing House. At retirement, he became a missionary for the UMPH and the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. He taught the use of computers for producing church literature in Africa, India, Central America and South America. Thomas was a gardener who hybridized daylilies, and was an active member of the American Hemerocallis Society and the Middle Tennessee Daylily Society.
Visitation is scheduled from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, February 2, 2014 with a Celebration of Life Service following at 3 p.m. at Connell Memorial Methodist Church in Goodlettsville.