Bill Carpenter

Bill Beck Carpenter, age 87, died on July 9, 2022 at the Babcock Health Care Center of Salemtowne.   Bill was born on August 5, 1934, in Lincoln County, North Carolina, to Charles Frederick Carpenter and Edna Beck Carpenter.   In 1941, his family moved to Winston-Salem, where his father began teaching at South Park School. In 1947, his mother opened Carpenter’s Flower Shop on the porch of their home on South Main Street, thus beginning Bill’s association with the retail florist business.   Bill graduated from Gray High School in 1952, and from the University of Tennessee in 1956.  On December 29, 1956, he married his first wife, Margaret Richardson Carpenter, of Columbia, Tennessee. In the following years, he pursued graduate studies at UCLA, and served as an instructor in Business Administration at Auburn University.   In 1962, Bill returned to Winston-Salem to join his parents in the operation of the florist shop, and Bill continued to manage the florist business until his retirement in 2003.   Bill was an ardent fan of Tennessee football, making many trips to Knoxville to cheer on the Tennessee Vols.  He was an avid collector of college football memorabilia. He enjoyed music and movies of the 1940s and 50s, and eating ice cream.  He was a faithful member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where he loved singing the hymns.  Bill was predeceased by his parents, his sisters, Betty Carpenter Grigg and Joan Carpenter Tucker, his first wife, Margaret, his son, Charles Randall Carpenter, and his second wife, Mary Cranfill Carpenter.   He is survived by his son, Alan (Kathy) Carpenter of Statesville, his son, Scott Carpenter of Winston-Salem, and his daughter, Linda (Cecilia Le) Carpenter of Milpitas, CA. He is also survived by his granddaughters, Elizabeth Carpenter of Atlanta, and Anne (Aaron) Galliher of Raleigh, and his sister-in-law, Linda (Robert) Richardson Hardison of Huntsville, AL.   Funeral services will be held on Thursday, July 14 at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 520 Summit Street, Winston-Salem, with the Rev. Nicholas VanHorn officiating.   The family will receive friends in the Calhoun Room of St. Paul’s Church following the service.   The Carpenter family would like to extend our gratitude to Bill’s caregivers, including Cheri, Jackie, Art, Sandra, Omar, Eddie, Allen, Chantrise, Jessica, Tracy, Lakeisha, and all of the other dedicated staff members of the Babcock Health Care Center.   Memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 520 Summit Street, Winston-Salem, NC  27101, and Salemtowne, Attn: Development Office, 1000 Salemtowne Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27106.  Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com