James B. Carpenter Jr.

CARPENTER, JR., JAMES B. COLONEL USMC, Ret.; 85 James Bert Carpenter, Jr. died Wednesday, March 2, 2005, after a long illness. He was born October 5, 1919, in Monroe, New York to James and Mildred Carpenter. He attended Monroe public schools and graduated 2 years early from high school to attend Columbia University. In 1940, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, was accepted into Officer's Candidate School in 1941, and received a regular commission upon graduation. In May of 1943, he married his lifelong sweetheart, Elizabeth Kaufman, of Richmond Hill, New York, and they remained happily married for 63 years. During WWII, he was ordered to the U.S. INDEPENDENCE and was at sea for 30 months, which included seven major operations from Wake Island, to strikes against the mainland of Japan. After the war he was stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC, Nashville, TN, Quantico, VA, and Pearl Harbor, HI. In 1955, he served with the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, CA., then attended Stanford University for post-graduate courses. In 1960, he was ordered to the 3rd Marine Division on Okinawa, for a year without his family. In 1965, he was ordered to Staff Commander, 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean on the flagship Independence. It was an unforgettable tour of duty, as the Six Day War and the attack on the Liberty occurred at that time. In 1967, he was ordered back to Quantico, and served as Chief of Staff for the Commanding General. Col. Carpenter retired from the Marine Corps in 1969, and moved to San Diego with his family. He then worked for San Diego City Schools as a Naval Science Instructor for the NJROTC program at Point Loma High School for five years. He finally "retired" in 1974, and set out to enjoy 33 years of travel and adventure with his beloved wife, Betsy. Their travels included many trips to Europe, South America and Hawaii. He was an avid tennis player, and played up until he was 82 years old. He also enjoyed ocean fishing and wrote travel articles. He was a member of the Military Order of the Caribou and a Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher. He was a devout Catholic and involved in the International Serra Club for many years to promote vocations in the Church. Col. Carpenter was active member of St. Agnes Parish in Point Loma, where he volunteered many hours with their vocation committee. He was a respected and beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend, whose life was an outstanding example to all. He was preceded in death by his grandson: Robert J. Ellsworth IV. His survivors include his wife: Elizabeth Carpenter; daughter, Mary Ellsworth of Jamul; grandson, James Carpenter Ellsworth of Jamul; sister, Carolyn McLaughlin of Oceanside; nephew, Mark Van Etten and niece, Dale Temmel. A Memorial Mass is scheduled Thursday, March 10, 11:30 a.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Point Loma, followed by an interment at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: Serra International, 70 E. Lake St., Ste. 1210, Chicago, IL 60601. Please sign the guest book at obituaries.uniontrib.com