Kenneth Stephen Carpenter

Ken is survived by his beloved wife of 28 years, Debbie (DiLullo); parents Carmela and Warren Carpenter of Seven Hills; sisters Kim (Ray) Blewitt and Amy (Dan) Piotrowski; 11 nieces and nephews; one great niece and nephew, and his furry buddy, Rocky.

Ken's heart was as big as his smile, as anyone who knew him could attest to his generous spirit. He was blessed with the gift of hospitality, and his home was open to all. We believe that our Lord greeted Ken with a hug and a "well done, my good and faithful servant." Ken leaves a multitude of friends around the world and will be deeply missed by all, as he exemplified "living life to its fullest."

Ken was an adjunct professor at Rollins College after retiring from Valencia College, where he taught for nine years as a journalism professor. He made a tremendous impact on his students as their mentor and friend, instilling a passion for journalism, life lessons and ethics.

Ken served 27 years as a professional journalist. He was a writer/reporter and editor with four major daily newspapers - The National Sports Daily, The Plain Dealer, Orlando Sentinel and Tampa Tribune-and was managing editor at Golfweek magazine and the first editor of Golfweek.com. He was editor and publisher of his own publication, The Golf Gazette, for five years.

Ken covered the Masters, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship (British Open), the PGA Championship, the World Golf Championships, the U.S. Women's Open, the Irish Open, the Spanish Open and the South African Open. Ken and his wife traveled extensively for leisure or to cover golf tournaments, golf resorts and golf businesses in Asia, North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Scandinavia, Africa and Australia.

Ken had a wide array of interests, notably loving film, the arts, travel, food and sports. He was an avid Cleveland sports fan and maintained his love for the Cleveland Indians long after moving to Florida in 1992. His love of hockey continued to the Sunshine State. He was a season ticketholder for both the Orlando Solar Bears and the Tampa Bay Lightning, often giving away Solar Bears tickets.

He volunteered for several non-profit organizations, including Mad Cow Theatre, Florida Film Festival and the Enzian. He served as Chairman of the Board of Global Peace Film Festival (GPFF). This year's festival will be dedicated in Ken's honor.

A graduate of (Cleveland) South High School, Ken received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Urban Development from Cleveland State University, and his MBA from Webster University.

Celebrations of Life services will be held in Cleveland and Orlando to honor a man of generous spirit.

- In Cleveland, Mass will be held Sept.17, 11 am at Holy Name Catholic Church, 8328 Broadway Av. Friends and family will be received from 1 – 5pm at Briarwood Golf Club, 2737 W. Edgerton Road, Broadview Heights.

- In Orlando, a Celebration of Life will be held Sept.24 from 2-6 p.m. at Valencia College West Campus.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial gifts take the form of contributions to Peacefilmfest.org or mailed to P.O. Box 3310 Winter Park, FL 32790 or MadCowTheatre.com or mailed to P.O. Box 3109 Orlando, FL 32802.