Thomas William Carpenter

1958 - 2020

Thomas William Carpenter

Grimes - Thomas William Carpenter, 62, passed away December 15th, 2020. Memorial services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, December 19, 2020, at Grimes United Methodist Church in Grimes with social distancing and masks required. The service will be live-streamed at vimeo.com/grimesumc. Inurnment will follow at Sunny Hill Cemetery in Grimes.

Tom was born March 4th, 1958 in Emmetsburg, IA to Bernard and Dorothy (Harvey) Carpenter. He grew up in Bancroft, IA and was one of 12 children. Tom graduated from St. John's Catholic High School in 1976 where he was a proud member of the Johnnie's baseball team. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa where he met his loving wife of 35 years, Rhonda Kemmann. Tom and Rhonda married on November 23rd, 1985, and together raised four children, Aaron, Kaitlyn, Brynn, and Trent.

Tom was very proud of his 30-year career at Preferred Medical Deposits where he met many wonderful people and made lifelong friends.

Tom was outgoing, could strike up a conversation with anyone, and was a friend to all who knew him. He loved sports, especially baseball and football, and enjoyed many years of watching and coaching his sons and daughters. He took great pride in all of his children's accomplishments, and most recently enjoyed watching his youngest son, Trent, play football at Minnesota State University. Tom was a history buff - you could ask him any question about any historical event and he would have the answer… and continue to talk about it for hours if you'd let him. His idea of a perfect day was spent at home preparing a big pot of delicious chili for his family while watching the Iowa Hawkeyes. He loved telling stories and sharing memories from "the good ol days". But most of all he loved and cherished his family.

Those left to cherish Tom's memory include: his devoted wife, Rhonda; his children, Aaron (Mary) Carpenter of Lawrence, KS, Kaitlyn Carpenter (Dan Whalen) of Clive, IA, Brynn (Josh) Magill of Granger, IA, Trent Carpenter of Mankato, MN; his grandchildren, Colby, Emily, and Cameron Carpenter, and Annie Magill; his loving siblings: Mike (Jolene) Carpenter, Pat Hughes, Terry (Nancy) Carpenter, Sue (Russ) Halter, Rosie (Keith) Hettwer, Kevin (Julie) Carpenter, Barb (Mike) Monahan, Randy Carpenter, Gordon Carpenter, and Charles Carpenter; his parents-in-law Eugene and Marcia Kemmann, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Dann and Lisa Kemmann, many nephews and nieces, and countless friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Dorothy Carpenter; his brother, Larry Carpenter; and his grandparents, Albert and Henrietta Harvey, and Gordon and Mary Carpenter.

We will cherish the many "Tomisms" and jokes he left us with over the years. He will be dearly missed by many.

Visitation will be held from 5 - 7 p.m. Friday at Iles Brandt Chapel in Dallas Center. Contributions may be made to Adult & Teen Challenge of the Midlands or the Good Samaritan Fund at Grimes United Methodist Church in Tom's memory. Online condolences will be welcomed at IlesCares.com.