Billie R. Carpenter

Billie was born and raised in the upper peninsula of Michigan in the little town of Watersmeet. Billie was a professing Christian. She loved music and had a beautiful voice, always singing and humming hymns. She was a prayer warrior for her family and friends and loved being a witness for Christ. She was not only gifted in music playing many instruments by ear, she also wrote poetry. As teenagers, she and her best friend penned the school fight song for her high school alma mater which is still sung today. She worked at the Kennedy Space Center in accounting before changing her occupation to the medical field where she was a transcriptionist of patient medical records.

Billie was preceded in death by her husband, James Boyd Carpenter, her daughter Kay Carpenter Buffington, her parents Evelyn Thornton Nye Popps and Raymond Nye, two sisters, Beverly Nye Ryan, Whitehall, Michigan, and Jacquelyn Nye Lewis, Montague, Michigan, and one brother, Raymond Keith Nye, Whitehall, Michigan.

She is survived by her sister Gwendolyn Nye Norkett, Montague, Michigan, sister Susan (Roy) Sokolowski, Whitehall, Michigan, brother Shannon Popps, Whitehall, Michigan, brother Sherwood (Paun) Popps, Port St. Lucie, Florida, son John A. (Felicia) Popps, Grand Rapids, Michigan, daughters Nikki (Freddie) Thomas of Lake City, FL, Leslie (David) Marquez of Titusville, FL, LaDonna (Barry) Matthews of Kennesaw, Ga., and Delane Ogden, Chattanooga, TN. She leaves nine grandchildren, thirteen great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. She had many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at First Baptist Church of Mims, 2395 Kentucky Avenue, Mims, Fl 32754. Viewing will be at the Church at 3:30 p.m. with services starting at 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Billie’s family requests donations in her name to Hospice of St. Francis in Titusville.

Billie will be buried in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, TN with her beloved Jim.