Donald B. Carpenter, 90, of West Caldwell, passed away on January 16, 2022.
Relatives and friends are invited for visitation on Friday from 9:30 am through 11:00 am in the Shook-Farmer Funeral Home, 45 Roseland Avenue, Roseland, NJ 07068, shookfarmer.com. A Funeral Mass will be offered at 11:00 am at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church, Roseland, NJ. Cremation will be private.
Born and raised in Pittsfield, MA, Don received his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, where he was a member of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity and played first base on the varsity baseball team. During the Korean War, he honorably served in the US Army. He called several towns his home, including McLean, VA; Essex Fells, Summit, and Bay Head, NJ; and Savannah, GA, where he lived for many years before settling in West Caldwell in 2018.
Prior to his retirement, Don was the branch manager for the National Accounts Division of IBM in Cranford. His more than thirty-year career with IBM offered Don the ability to travel the world, an opportunity he embraced with camera in hand. In his spare time, he was an avid golfer, tennis player and sports memorabilia collector. Don loved spending time with family and friends, and was particularly fond of feeding crackers to his beloved furry friend, Bailey. Naturally witty and social, no one told a better story or joke than Don. During his time at the Crane’s Mill Retirement Community in West Caldwell, he served as the president of the Resident Council Committee for the skilled nursing unit.
Don was pre-deceased by his parents, Jesse Henry and Wilhelmina Carpenter, his beloved wife, Anne W. Carpenter, and his step-son, Stephen J. Magliaro.
Surviving are his loving children, Deborah C. Vincent and Roderick B. Carpenter (Susan); beloved step-children, Deborah M. Colton (William) and Mark C. Magliaro; cherished grandchildren, Kimberley Schacht (Harry), Elizabeth Vincent, Christopher Vincent, and Caroline Carpenter; beloved step-grandchildren Susan Weisel (Andrew) and Elizabeth Labadie (William); loving great-grandchildren, Leah and Olivia Schacht; special great-step-grandchildren, Robert Weisel and Eleanor Labadie; adored sister, Lesley-Ann Grilli (Donald); cherished nephew Stephen Grilli (Kathryn) and niece Cynthia Grilli; and beloved great-niece, Abigale Grilli.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Don’s memory to the Parkinson’s Foundation, parkinson.org.