Dorothy was born in Washington, Utah, on July 27, 1917, to Hyrum Richard Prince and Minnie Viola Larson Prince. Washington was still an early pioneer town that had sand for streets and little in the way of conveniences. She attended the Washington School until her father died when she was 11 years old. Her father's death brought extreme hardship to the family and at that time the children had to seek their own destinies.
When Dorothy was about 16 years of age, she took a job tending children in Cedar City, Utah, and there she met her future husband, Paul James Carpenter. They eloped to Parowan where they were married on December 9, 1934. Their oldest son Kirt was born two years later in March of 1936. Her husband took a job as the youngest Postmaster in the United States at a desert railroad stop in Lund, Utah. With their Post Office, they also ran a small grocery store. At that time, Lund was a significant railroad stop attracting people from all walks of life. To get to Cedar City where she did her shopping, Dorothy rode the caboose of the train that ran in that direction. She always took her young son Kirt on these excursions to Cedar City.
In about 1938, the family moved to remote location known as the Divide, which is the boundary between the Great Basin and the Colorado River Basin. Paul ran a wholesale distributorship supplying Standard Oil products between Panguitch, Utah, and the Grand Canyon, Arizona. The family moved in 1941 to Orderville where schools were available and Kent Richard was born in 1942. The World War II years caused a great disruption in everyone's lives and Dorothy's little family lived with another disrupted family while the husbands served in the military. They lived in a tiny basement apartment sharing meager resources allowed by World War II conditions and support from Paul's parents.
Upon Paul's return at the conclusion of the war, the family moved to the Salt Lake City area, living in temporary wartime housing and once again having to deal with the problems of no automobile, and having to do the normal activities of life on foot or riding the Greyhound bus. The family then moved to rural north Salt Lake where the family gained a vehicle and daughter Patricia was born. Paul was employed as a dealer representative for Standard Oil Company of California. They eventually moved to permanent housing on the east side of Salt Lake City. In 1955 Paul quit Standard Oil and went to work as General Manager for United Oil in Twin Falls, and in 1957 they returned to their home in Salt Lake City where they remained for the rest of their lives together.
Dorothy was a faithful and caring friend to her neighbors and even in her advanced years provided transportation for members of the neighborhood birthday club until she was the only remaining member, at which point she felt the loneliness of her life. She was a dedicated Primary Teacher and a member of her Ward Relief Society serving in the Presidency. She was very proud of her perfect record as a Visiting Teacher.
Paul and Dorothy were sealed in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on August 20, 1959.
Paul died in 1992 after suffering many years. During this period, Dorothy was assisted by their daughter Patricia and her family. When Dorothy's health began to decline, she left her home of many years and lived with Patricia and Brad, who cared for her in an exemplary way. The whole family was close to their Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, and Great Great Grandmother, and she will be missed by all, knowing that in her passing she is deserving of a great reward.
Dorothy is survived by three children, Patricia (Brad) Nygren, Paul Kirt (Deanna/divorced; Gayla) Carpenter, and Kent Richard (Susan) Carpenter, 13 grandchildren, 39 great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild. She is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Carmen Fisher and Lucille Prince.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Hyrum Richard Prince and Minnie Viola Larson Prince, 6 siblings, and daughter-in-law Mary Carpenter.
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