Betty Lucille Carpenter

Pullman, Washington - Betty Lucille Carpenter, 92, passed away of age related causes early Sunday morning, May 31, 2015, at Whitman Senior Living Community, where she had been a resident for four years.

She was born Betty Lucille Groh April 27, 1923 at St. Paul, Minnesota, the oldest of four children and the last survivor of Edmund Phillip Groh and Agnes Blanche Lucille Warner. Betty married William Thomas Carpenter April 20, 1946, at the Fourth Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Married 58 years, her husband, a World War II veteran of the European campaign, passed away in 2004 in Spokane.

About a year after their marriage, Betty and Bill moved to the state of Washington, where they lived for many years in the Central Washington communities of Richland, Pasco and Grandview. While in Washington, they raised three daughters, Linda, Debra and Susan. Her husband worked at the Atomic Energy facility near Hanford.

In 1967 the couple moved to Corvallis, Oregon, where Bill worked at Oregon State University as a reactor operator in the university’s research facility. They entered the retirement stage of their life in 1986, relocating back to Washington, where they settled in the Spokane Valley.

Church life was extremely important to both Betty and her husband wherever they lived. They both were active in leading Bible Study groups, with a special interest in college-age students. The organization and operation of church libraries was also a passion for the couple, with Betty often serving as church librarian.

When her children were older and in school Betty worked outside the home, first for a bank in Grandview, then later the Corvallis School District, where she was an instructional media specialist.

Survivors include three daughters, Linda (Rod) Commons of Pullman, Washington, Debra of Spokane, Washington, and Susan (JD) Hascup of Bonney Lake, Washington, eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

A private family celebration of Betty’s life will be held at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home in Spokane Valley at a later date, with burial at Pines Cemetery.

Betty’s family wishes to thank the staff of the Whitman Senior Living Community and Gentiva Hospice for their loving care of Betty over the past four years. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Gentiva Hospice, 1610 NE Eastgate Blvd, Suite 610, Pullman, WA 99163-5625.