Billie Rae Nye 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; daughter Kay Carpenter Buffington; 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 sisters, Gwendolyn Nye Norkett, Montague, Michigan and Susan (Roy) Sokolowski, Whitehall, Michigan; brothers, Shannon Popps, Whitehall, Michigan and 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.

A Graveside Service will be at 2:30 PM on Friday, August 23, 2019 at Chattanooga National Cemetery with Rev. Bill Henry officiating.

Visitation will be from 12 Noon to 2 PM on Friday at Chattanooga Funeral Home Valley View Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, Billie’s family requests donations in her name to Hospice of St. Francis in Titusville.