Edmund H Carpenter Jr.

Funeral service for Col. Edmund Carpenter, Jr., age 78, will be held at Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel in Irmo on Wednesday September 7, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. Visitation will be held at 11:00 a.m., one hour prior to the service. Burial with full military honors will be held in Fort Jackson National Cemetery following the funeral service.

Ed passed away Thursday, September 1, 2016. He was born on August 16, 1938 in Columbia. A son of the late Edmund H. Carpenter and Mary C. Carpenter, he graduated in 1956 from Columbia High School and from the University of South Carolina in 1961 as an AFROTC Distinguished Military Graduate and with a BS in marketing. Upon graduating from USC, he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force. In 1961, Col. Carpenter attended Air Force Flight School at Craig Air Force Base in Alabama and was assigned to tactical C-130 aircraft. In 1969 he received his MBA from Auburn University. During his military career of 26 years, Col. Carpenter was assigned to Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee; Langley Air Force Base, Virginia; Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines; Craig Air Force Base, Alabama; Wiesbaden Air Force Base, Germany; Osan Air Force Base, Korea; and to two tours at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. While in Korea and Texas, he served as Deputy Base Commander. During his time of service, Col. Carpenter was highly decorated earning the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Monitorians Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with thirteen oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four Battle Stars, as well as numerous other honors. Col. Carpenter retired from the US Air Force in 1981 and returned to Columbia, where he owned and operated Carpenter’s Auto Parts for 18 years. He was a member of Chapin United Methodist Church and was a member of the St. Andrews Optimist Club. He became a 32° Mason while serving as a member of Bolyston Lodge and the Jamil Temple. He joined the Flying Fez Unit and flew 150 flights to Cincinnati, Ohio transporting burned and crippled children. Being an enthusiastic golfer, Ed played many hours with friends as a member of Mid Carolina Golf Club. Being an avid Gamecock fan, he enjoyed supporting the team both at home and at away games.

Col. Carpenter is survived by his wife of 59 years, Vivian Best Carpenter; daughter, Tami Blackwelder (David); sons, Edmund H. Carpenter III, and John D.

Carpenter (Carol); grandchildren, Keith and Stephanie Smith and Christopher (Haylee), Brandon, and Taigan Carpenter; great-grandchildren, Mya Donaldson, Corey Silbert, and Zyan Carpenter. Other survivors include his sisters-in-law, Sarah Cox Carpenter, Patsy Best Gause (Shand), Dee Ann Best Holland (Warren), Marie Best, and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Ed was predeceased by his brother, John Carpenter; sister-in-law, Kathleen Best Hoffman; brother-in-law, Bubba Best; and nephews, Troy Carpenter and Brunson Best.

The family requests that memorials be made to the Jamil Center Transportation Fund for Burned and Crippled Children, 206 Jamil Rd. Columbia, SC 29210; or to the charity of one’s choice.