Martina Mae Carpenter

1943 - 2022

Martina Mae Carpenter
March 15, 1943 - January 13, 2022
Pasco, Washington - Martina Mae Carpenter was born on March 15th, 1943 in Portland, Oregon and lived a very full 78 years of life. Heaven gained the most beautiful angel on January 13th, 2022 as she passed away peacefully in her home and made her way to Heaven to be with the Lord.
She spent the first five years of her life as an only child before her twin siblings, Nancy and Darrell, arrived. This took her by surprise and she would often beg her parents to trade in her young siblings for a puppy. The family eventually moved to Parkrose, Oregon where she graduated from high school in 1961.
Not long after graduation in 1962, Martina was exploring Cannon Beach when she crossed paths with James Carpenter in front of Haystack Rock. They fell in love and married on September 19th, 1964 and began their life together by moving to St. Helens, Oregon. During this time, she also purchased a boat and a new red 1963 Volkswagen Beetle. She dabbled in multiple career positions throughout her younger years. She loved to tell stories about the various jobs she had, especially working at Nabisco and reminiscing on eating fresh, warm cookies right off the conveyer belt. Martina and Jim eventually completed their family by welcoming their sons, Anthony in 1965 and John in 1967.
Her years in St. Helens were busy raising two boys. She spent her free time running for city council, writing letters to the editor on public issues, performing in bowling leagues, and running a chapter of the 'Friends of Animals' organization. One of her greatest accomplishments during this time was being appointed as the town representative for St. Helens in 1976 in a nationwide effort to celebrate the Bicentennial. Her efforts included bake sales to raise funds, design contest for a town flag, booking the Broadway play '1776' for the town, a trip to see the Freedom Train in Portland, and a super fireworks display for July 4. Her husband, James, eventually took a new job and the family moved to Pasco, WA in 1979.
She was a spunky outgoing woman and she had many hobbies that she enjoyed including gardening, genealogy, knitting/quilting, photography, bowling, and was an avid reader. She loved her animals and had many family pets throughout her life including Midnight, Margie, Reno, Simon, Rebel, Mr. C. Rocky, Creamy, and Percy. She enjoyed camping, going to the beach, trying new foods, and her ultimate unfulfilled desire was to travel into space. She took many memorable trips including to Reno to see the Concord, the Caribbean, Jamaica, Panama Canal, Mexico, the Grand Canyon, Alaska, and Yellowstone.
Martina loved being a wife and mother and as her granddaughters Heather, Kayla, and Megan arrived, her life took on a whole new chapter as grandmother. She was known to many as the "gingerbread lady" as she would almost single-handedly construct hundreds of homemade gingerbread houses during the Christmas season each year, beginning when her sons were young. She also entered a special house into the county fair that won a blue ribbon. She made sure her children and grandchildren could make candy filled and covered gingerbread houses with their friends and relatives. She was very active in her children and grandchildren's lives including being front row at any school or sporting event and teaching essential skills such as cooking, baking, sewing, grammar, and typing. Her granddaughters enjoyed the long road trips they took together and she would often quiz them on various things, including all 50 states and their capitals. She was an exceptional support system in her family and always cheered them on.
In her later years, she found her way to Jesus and the Church. On July 2nd, 2006, she gave herself to the Lord and was baptized as a Christian. She regularly reached out to others to express her faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and contributed regularly to the church and other organizations that helped lead others to salvation. She knew the rewards the Bible promised believers upon death and expressed this to those she knew. She provided so much love to those around her and was showered with love from her husband, children, grandchildren, and anyone who knew her. Martina lived a wonderful life, and although her passing was unexpected, she is now at home with the Lord.
Martina is survived by the love of her life and husband of 57 years, James; her sister Nancy (Eric) Cole; sons, Anthony, John (Angela) Carpenter, and Alan; daughter-in-law Angela Costanzo; four granddaughters, Heather (Jarret), Kayla, Kierstin (Troy), and Megan; two great-grandchildren, Preston and Parker; and multiple distant relatives. She is preceded in death by her parents, Martin and Mable, brother Darrell, and many other relatives in her extended family.