Gerald Dean Carpenter

Gerald Dean Carpenter, 82, a long-time resident of Fort Morgan, passed away peacefully early Monday morning, February 2nd at the UC Health Care Center in Aurora, Colorado. Jerry, as he was known throughout his life, was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on February 13th, 1943, to parents Velva (Peck) Carpenter and Hugh Fred Carpenter. After farming there in the late forties, Fred and Velva, their four daughters and Jerry moved to Fort Morgan in January of 1950. Jerry began the friendships that would become a mainstay for the rest of his life. He also would begin to learn the carpentry, mechanical, and farming skills that would become a foundation for adult life.

It was in Fort Morgan that Jerry met Deloris Elaine Comer, who was the great love of his life, leading to a small, simple wedding on September 20th, 1962. Soon to follow in their lives on a wheat farm north of Orchard, Colorado were three sons, Tim, Dan and Kirk. As Jerry, Dee and their sons moved through various places and stages in life, Jerry would be a pillar for his family, always using his abilities and talents to the benefit of his family. After a short time in Houston, Texas and Wiggins, Colorado Jerry would finally put his capabilities as a young pilot to the test in crop dusting as he and Dee became the managers of the Fort Morgan Municipal Airport and established Carpenter Flying Service. His love for flying was infectious enough that Dee would eventually solo, and Tim and Dan would become pilots as well. From the 1970's until they sold CFS in December of 1991, the Carpenters would be engaged in ag aviation with Dan and Jerry ending up in the yellow, radial-engine Air Tractors familiar to rural residents in the county, Tim building relationships with farming customers, and Dee putting her business acumen to work in the office. Jerry and Dee both held offices at the state level of the Colorado Agricultural Aviation Association, a testament to their willingness to serve, and their natural affinity for people, developing friendships no matter where they were and what business they were engaged in.

As time moved on, so did Dan and Jerry, to complete training for the next phase of their lives in Paintless Dent Repair. Together with Dee they would form Dent Masters, serving Northern Colorado through the 90's and 2000's. With Dee shuttling cars and managing the repair business alongside Dan and Jerry, he would often say, "All we have is service!" Logging thousands of miles and hours, they proudly served car dealerships and private customers from Holyoke through Greeley to Fort Collins and Brighton. On the home front, starting back in the 80's Jerry and Dee were perpetually busy in various pursuits, but kept centered on weddings and the subsequent births of seven grandchildren, their various growing-up activities, and Jerry would live to see and hold a great granddaughter as well as a great grandson.

Jerry developed a number of passions throughout life and when he found something he liked he would go all in. He had a keen mind and always was interested in new and better ways to make things work. When there was a handyman project available, Jerry was eager to help and enjoyed picking up a paintbrush to improve the several homes they owned and rented to others. He helped look after everyone's vehicles and had a love for good ones from an early age. This would prove to be a blessing to his grandchildren, as he wanted them all to be safe and their cars well cared for. He had a penchant for keeping oil topped off, tire pressure checked, and was unafraid to change spark plugs, undaunted by anything he thought he could figure out how to do. A great number of times he could be called on to retrieve disabled cars with either a car dolly or trailer.

One of Jerry's foremost passions was the world of dogs, especially labrador retrievers, stemming from his parents' early kennel and grooming businesses. From the late 1970's on, Jerry and Dee would develop a respected line of retrievers that were great family dogs. Even in Jerry's later years, his labs regularly were treated to a run around the acreage with his side-by-side, and an obedient return to the yard. He was proud of his dogs and maintained many relationships that began when families played with puppies in the yard.

Some may regard that Jerry was the wind beneath Dee's wings, as she embraced so many things to love, and he quietly supported all of it. They both enjoyed baking and cooking, gardening and landscaping, watching and waiting for hummingbirds to appear at the cannas in the yard, while eagerly encouraging and facilitating everyone they knew to have cannas of their own. In recent years, he delighted in simply getting to observe the wild turkeys that frequented the neighborhood.

Jerry spent time in camping, flytying, shooting and hunting, woodworking, a great deal of time in horseback riding and, for a time, a love for mules. He is perhaps one of the few Coloradans to have taken both a bull moose and a cow moose in the state, just a couple of the many adventures he and his family were privileged to have. He attended many different sporting events and activities that his children and grandchildren were engaged in, and loved corresponding with people by e-mail. He was a quiet connection with many, many people. And, of course, it would be hard to tell all about Jerry without including his love of fishing, from childhood on. Mountains, or plains, no matter the season, Jerry eagerly looked forward to fishing ponds, rivers and lakes, on shore, ice or from a boat. Even in more recent years he was eager to cast out and would intently watch the line and hold the rod waiting for a bite.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Velva Carpenter, two older sisters, Barbara Hawes and her husband, Ron, of Fort Morgan, Bonnie Winberg and her husband, Ray, also of Fort Morgan, a brother-in-law, Gene Griffee (of Springfield Missouri, survived by Jerry's older sister, Shirley), and a brother-in law, Van Brown of Des Moines, Iowa (survived by Jerry's older sister, Karen). Jerry is also survived by a brother-in-law, Kenneth Comer, of Longmont, Colorado. After 62 years of marriage he was preceded in death by his wife, Dee, and survived by his son Tim Carpenter (and wife Beth) of Fort Morgan, with their sons Zach Carpenter (and Allison Mervau) of Fort Morgan and Jay Carpenter (wife Amanda and their daughter Collins) also of Fort Morgan; son Dan Carpenter (and wife Karen) and their son, Taylor Carpenter, all of Fort Morgan, along with daughter Kaitlin Duke (and husband Tyler) of Golden, Colorado; son Kirk Carpenter and his sons Cody Carpenter (Alisha Guiterrez) and Colton Carpenter (wife Tahais and their son Dean), and daughter Kyla Carpenter-Atwood (husband Alex Atwood) of Greeley, Colorado, all of whom will miss him so dearly for his steady, loving devotion to family and friends. Jerry's many nieces and nephews from Iowa and Missouri to Arkansas and Colorado held life-long, on-going relationships with him as well. As with anyone, he was always eager for a visit and treasured time with his loved ones throughout his life.

A service will be held at the Heer Mortuary Chapel in Fort Morgan on Monday, February 9th, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. followed by Inurnment at Serenity Falls Columbarium. A luncheon will follow at The Block (19592 MCR 7/E. Eighth Ave) in Fort Morgan.