Judy Christopher Carpenter

Judy Carpenter died on October 23, 2024, after electing not to treat the cancer she was diagnosed with earlier in the year. Judy was born Judith Christopher Troyer in Indianapolis on February 15, 1938. A self-described tomboy, Judy was always an adventurous child. During WWII when sugar was rationed, she was caught climbing on the kitchen counter in the house next door after sneaking in to raid a neighbor's sugar bowl. (Judy never got over her sweet tooth!) She reported that she stole the family car while still in elementary school to go visit a friend, snuck into buildings at Butler University and climbed out the windows onto the roof at age 10, and had no end of exciting adventures pretending to be Huck Finn with her corncob pipe in her mouth. Always an animal lover, Judy was known for bringing home countless pets, tame and wild, and sometimes belonging to her neighbors. This love for animals never left her.
Judy was musically inclined. An important part of her younger years was taking piano lessons, which she eventually gave up after her brother's car accident. But she continued playing, and her kids remember going to sleep with the sounds of Beethoven's "Fur Elise" coming up the stairs. She learned to play the fiddle in her 60's, and had great joy from playing music with a group of friends, including her long-time friend, Cynthia Schneider.
Her beloved brother, Tom, was in a car accident when Judy was 14 and became paraplegic. She said that although it was tragic, it changed her life in a good way-they became closer as she helped him through his recovery, and she eventually went on to become a physical therapist.
Judy attended Shortridge High School in Indianapolis and the University of Wisconsin, where she joined a hiking group called the Hoofers. After deciding she was spending too much of her parent's money having a good time, she returned to live at home and enrolled in a newly created physical therapy program in Indianapolis under the mentorship of the physical therapist who worked with her brother after his accident. In her 50s, she enrolled in the occupational therapy program at the University of Indianapolis, where she received a master's degree and met classmates who became lifelong friends.
As a young adult, she ventured to Europe with her college roommate, Sara, and the two hitchhiked their way across the continent. Judy later purchased a Vespa motor scooter and they continued their adventures with wheels of their own. Upon returning to the United States, she sold the scooter after her future husband crashed while driving in loose gravel. She said that at the time she knew it was either the scooter or the man, and she chose the man, Richard W. Carpenter, with whom she later had four children. Eventually, she replaced the Vespa with an old church bus purchased from the Morehead Christian Church, which she converted into a camper, and led Carpenter family vacations around the country, and even into Canada.
Judy said that having children and grandchildren was one of the happiest parts of her life, and they were her pride and joy. As much as she was able to, she invited each of her grandchildren to spend a week with her in Morehead during the summers, where she did activities with them based on their individual interests, something that was very meaningful to all of them.
She moved to Morehead with Richard in 1967, where she embraced the local community. She hosted countless parties to recruit new doctors to the area, always culminating with her famous Oreo cookie dessert. She worked as a physical therapist, and later as an occupational therapist for St. Claire Medical Center. She loved working for Home Health most, where she developed close connections with many pediatric patients and their families.
Judy stayed active until the end, even crawling under her house in her mid-80s to check on issues there. As dementia played a larger role in her life, she derived great satisfaction from taking her dog Toby for walks, checking for eggs from the chickens twice a day, and continuing to play music. She said that she had no regrets (she was glad that she left the Vespa for Dick) and set a good example of living life to its fullest. Judy was preceded in death by her father, John Christopher Troyer, Mother, Isabelle Layman Troyer, brother, Thompson Layman Troyer, and baby brother, Johnny Troyer. Judy is survived by her four children, Wendy Carpenter, Rachel Carpenter (John Zakelj), Chris Carpenter (EunJung Kim), and Sam Carpenter (Alison Schumacher); grandchildren Jordan and Adrian Hess; Anna, Ian, and Ruth Zakelj; Eunji Katie Carpenter, Simon and Theo Carpenter; multiple Troyer and Carpenter nephews and nieces, as well as Lucy Pryor (Bob Pryor) who was practically a daughter to her
In lieu of flowers, donations are invited for the Alzheimer's Association, Star Saving the Animals of Rowan Inc., or St. Claire Hospice.
The family will hold a celebration of Judy's life in Morehead at a later date.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Judy Christopher (Troyer) Carpenter, please visit our floral store.