Josephine Carpenter

Funeral Services for Josephine Carpenter will be conducted from the First Baptist Church in Holdrege, Nebraska on Friday, October 28, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor Darren Stroh officiating. Interment will be held at Prairie Home Cemetery, Holdrege, Nebraska.

Josephine Carpenter, 67 years of age, of Holdrege, passed away on Saturday, October 22, 2011 at the Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege. Josephine was born January 21, 1944 at Benwood, West Virginia the eighth of twelve children born to John and Flossie Jean (Wilson) Willis. She received her primary education in Wayne Public Schools in Bloomingdale, Ohio. She later received her GED at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

On October 11, 1964, she was united in marriage to John A. Carpenter in Ohio. To this union six sons and one daughter were born: John, Jr., Christian, Richard, Jennifer, Jeremy, Joshua and Jacob. The family made their home in Ohio and in 1974 moved to Holdrege.

She enjoyed her grandkids, reading, Tweety Bird, Country music, including Johnny Cash, Toby Keith, and Kenny Chesney and traveling. She also loved to talk to people, even if she did not know them. She encouraged her kids to do what they loved. She loved to talk on the phone to her sister, Shirley. She enjoyed going to church, and her favorite TV shows, Touched by an Angel, Numbers and any mystery shows. She loved to write poems and was an accomplished author of, "My Life So Far." Josephine enjoyed attending the Army balls, with her husband, John, shopping and walks in the park either by herself or with the family.

Besides her parents, Josephine was preceded in death by her husband, John A. Carpenter, Sr. in January 2011, sisters: Audrey Porter, Ethel Elaine Willis, Mary Elizabeth Willis, Arbutus Reiss and Sandy Willis; brothers: Perry and Richard Willis; and brother-in-law, Robert Barto in 2005.

She is survived by her six sons: John Carpenter, Jr., Christian Carpenter and special friend, Rafael Teodosio of Phillipies, Richard Carpenter, Jeremy Carpenter and his wife, Barb, Josh Carpenter, and Jacob Carpenter all of Holdrege; daughter, Jennifer Hitt and her husband, Michael of North Carolina; grandchildren: Ashton, Brandon and Zachary Carpenter of Holdrege, Rebecca Hitt and her fiancé Josh and Jarret Hitt of North Carolina; great-grandchildren: Jala and Makaila Parker of North Carolina; brothers: John Willis of Wellington, Kansas, Robert Willis of California; sisters: Shirley Barto, Kathleen Carpenter and her husband, William all of Holdrege; and a host of other relatives, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, October 27, 2011 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. with the family greeting from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege.

A memorial has been established in his memory and kindly suggested to the family.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Nelson-Bauer Funeral Home in Holdrege is in charge of the arrangements.