Virginia "Josie" Lee (McCrary) Carpenter

Graveside services for Josie Carpenter, 92, of Portales, will be held at 2:00 PM, Sat., May 16, 2020 in the Portales Cemetery with Jack Merrick officiating, assisted by Scott P. Reeves.  All of her grandchildren will serve as honorary pallbearers.

Virginia Josie Lee Carpenter, known to virtually everyone as Josie, was born April 1, 1928 in Rhome, TX to the home of Ora Dell (Lisby) and Joseph Clark McCrary, and died early on the morning of May 13, 2020 in Lubbock, TX.  Mrs. Carpenter was married to William Robert "Bill" Carpenter at the Tarrant County Courthouse, at about noon, on May 24, 1946, and graduated from Rhome High School that same evening.  The couple had three children, a son and two daughters, and uniquely, she and all of her children were delivered by the same doctor.The Carpenters made their home in the Dallas area for several years, and then in late 1956 they moved to the Arch community.  Only a few months later, they returned to Texas, but returned to New Mexico in 1964.  They farmed in the Arch community until 1978, when they moved to a farm in the Floyd community.  Josie was a typical farm wife, working right along side of her husband, helping with the hoeing and the chores, as well as keeping the household in operation.

Mrs. Carpenter was an excellent cook, but her family remembers especially her apple pies and chocolate meringue pies.  She enjoyed crocheting and also did some quilting.  Garage sales were a favorite activity, and she loved collecting the pretty glassware that she would find.  Mrs. Carpenter was a faithful Christian and a member of the Third and Kilgore Church of Christ.  Each morning, she would read her Bible while she had her morning coffee.  During her lifetime, she had read the entire Bible through more than 40 times.  She sent out literally hundreds of birthday cards to each member of her congregation and other family members, and will be remembered for the many newsy letters that she wrote.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Gerald and Georgia Carpenter of Levelland, TX; her two daughters and a son-in-law, Betty Dever of Portales and Shirley and Gary Cater of Elida; eight grandchildren, Donna Carpenter, William G. Carpenter, Gerald C. (Robin) Carpenter, Joshua Carpenter, Vicki (Matt) Thompson, Royce (Jennifer) Dever, Terry Cater and Rusty (Amanda) Cater; 18 great-grandchildren and 16 great-great-grandchildren; a brother, Clayton (Joyce) McCrary of Colleyville, TX; and two sisters, Alice (Charles) Krudwig of DeQueen, AR and Elaine (James) Watson of Bonham, TX; as well as nieces and nephews and other family members and many friends.  She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Billy Joe McCrary as well as an infant brother, and a sister, Verda Wright, as well as by her beloved husband, Bill, who died Aug. 28, 1987 after more than 41 years of marriage.

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