Dr. Richard Carpenter died suddenly of natural causes in his home on October 25, 2022. On Sunday he went to church as usual and on Tuesday he went to heaven, that beautiful kingdom of his Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Richard began life on January 7, 1944 in Minneapolis, Minnesota as the first born child of Lionel and Thelma Carpenter. A few months later he moved with his mother to St. Augustine, Florida to join his father who was serving in the Navy during World War II. In 1946 his brother Robert joined the family. After the war he and his family made their home in Minneapolis and Crystal, Minnesota. At a young age he became interested in becoming a medical doctor. He always had a questioning mind and didn’t take things at face value. When he was 15, the family moved “North to Alaska” and settled in Anchorage. He attended and graduated from West Anchorage High in 1962. To pursue his goal of being a physician he attended Seattle Pacific College majoring in Biology. There he met his future wife, Glenda Stevens. After graduating in 1966 he entered University of Oregon Medical School. A year later they married. In 1970 he earned his medical degree, graduating with honors. He then began a one year internship at St. Paul Ramsey Hospital in St Paul, Minnesota. His first child, Wesley, was born in 1971 and sadly Glenda died shortly after of an illness. After completing his internship he was accepted to a five year surgical residency at the University of Oregon Medical School but could not begin until he had completed his military obligation. He served as a General Medical Officer at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, Alaska during the Vietnam War. At this time he married Lynda Bakke. In 1973 he began the residency. Daughter Stephanie was born in 1974 and son, Daniel in 1975. Upon completion of his residency in 1978 he was invited to join a surgical practice in Turlock, California. He earned his acceptance as a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1981. He spent 37 years as a general surgeon, practicing at Emanuel Hospital, and retired in 2015. Among his other interests and skills were carpentry, target shooting, photography, grilling, cooking, and being a coffee “barista.” His great delight was in sharing these skills with others. He loved the mountains, especially Yosemite. The joy of his life was doing things with and for his family and others. He was very proud of his 3 children, 9 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. He was a member of Connecting Point Church of the Nazarene.
He is predeceased by his parents, and first wife Glenda. He is survived by Lynda, his wife of fifty years, son Wesley (Shannon), daughter Stephanie Leigh (Greg), son Daniel (Sarah), brother Robert (Beryl), two nephews, and many cousins.
He was devoted to his family and will be forever in their hearts. He will be remembered for his firm faith, his constant love, his encouragement, his wisdom and wit. A physician to the end, he offered the gift of healing to those in physical need by being a tissue donor upon his death.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, November 4th, 2022 at 11:00 am at Connecting Point Church of the Nazarene, 3200 E. Monte Vista Avenue, Denair, California.
Memorial gifts may be given to Westside Ministries of Turlock.
Condolence(1)-
cdeleon says
November 3, 2022 at 7:31 pmIt is with great sadness of hearing this news. I worked with Dr. Carpenter for many years at Emanuel Medical Center as the Director of Surgery and he was also my surgeon. He was an excellent surgeon and truly care for each of his patients. He participated in the betterment of our healthcare team and strived to see us all shine. He always took time to listen and hear what others were saying, never interrupting or being in hurry which led to him being extremely respect by the entire community and our healthcare team. I will always cherish those years spent with him as many others will to. Prayers for comfort and peace to his family. May he forever rest in peace in God’s loving arms. Amen.